Handover Ceremony for Indelible Ink

by Electoral Commission

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission 

Mr Mukesh Nand

Handover Ceremony for Indelible Ink

Date: 04/10/22

Time: 10:30 am

 

The High Commissioner of India to Fiji, His Excellency Shri P.S Karthigeyan

Supervisor of Elections, Mr Mohammed Saneem, 

Invited guests,

Ladies and gentleman,

Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you.

I take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to you all to our event this morning. 

Ladies and gentleman, it is a significant occasion for us today as the Fijian Elections Office is receiving 5,500 bottles of Indelible Ink, from the High Commission of India to be used for the 2022 General Election.

This marks the third election in which India has assisted us by providing Indelible Ink which will be used to place a mark on a voter’s finger to indicate that they have voted.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Indelible Ink is a critical element of Fiji’s voting process because it serves as a confirmation of a vote. 

It also verifies and ensures that a person is able to only vote once therefore helping uphold the principle of ‘One person, One vote, One value’.

The 5,500 bottles that we are receiving today amount to approximately $320,000 and on behalf of my Commission and the Fijian Elections Office, I would like to thank the High Commission of India in Fiji as well as the Government of India for their generous assistance towards this election.

Ladies and gentlemen, India’s relations with Fiji in all spheres are excellent and we share a very close bond. India remains a committed development partner and is assisting us in promoting participatory democracy and election administration in our country. 

The Indian High Commission and the Government of India have stood as a strong pillar of support for us throughout the years and it is a relationship that we truly value and hold in high regard.

Ladies and gentleman, the announcement of the election date is imminent and with the handover ceremony today, we are going one step further in our election preparations. The Electoral Commission and the FEO are doing everything to ensure that our preparations are on par to deliver a free, fair and credible election.

I take this opportunity to once again thank the Indian Government and the Indian High Commission for their assistance in providing the indelible ink. 

Ladies and gentlemen, it is your job and mine to carry the indelible ink-marked on our finger with national pride as it symbolizes loyalty and patriotism. We must take ownership and work towards a fair general election. 

Thank you, Vinaka Vakalevu. 

Election Preparation Update

by Electoral Commission

Statement by Electoral Commission Chairperson, Mr Mukesh Nand

Election Preparation Update

Date: 19/09/2022

 

The Supervisor of Elections, Mr Mohammed Saneem, 

Representatives of the international community,  

Ladies and gentlemen, Bula Vinaka, and a good morning to you all. 

It gives me great pleasure to join the Supervisor of Elections this morning in providing an update on Election Preparations for the 2022 General Election. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to firstly congratulate the Fijian Elections Office on the successful implementation of the second round of the Nationwide Voter Registration Drive and Know Your Election Campaign which concluded on 3rd September.

In the first round, the FEO had recorded over 200,000 voter engagements while in the second phase, the teams managed to serve over 62,000 Fijians.

Following the major drive, we now have 689,974 registered voters in Fiji. As per the latest voter stats, we have now recorded 346,129 males and 343,845 females on the National Register of Voters.

The largest cohort of voters sit in between the ages of 21 to 50 years. In terms of the geographical distribution, a highest number of voters are concentrated in the Central Division which makes up 42.9% of the voter register followed by the Western Division which makes up 37.46%.

We have 593,134 Fijians who have upgraded and are on the Blue colored VoterCard while 96,840 are still on the Green VoterCard. The FEO is rolling out extensive voter services from this weekend again so that voters who are still on the Green VoterCard, can upgrade.

Furthermore, we have also commenced Provisional Voter List Display in all urban centres. Since last weekend, voters now have been given the opportunity to check their names on the Voter List and verify their details and the exercise will continue this weekend as well.

Meanwhile, 3 rounds of Provisional Voter List verification have already been conducted in rural and maritime areas.

Ladies and gentlemen, meaningful engagement with stakeholders is key to the electoral process and as such the EC and FEO continue our engagements with the media and political parties as well.

I am told the FEO has already conducted an extensive Media Training program for local journalists and media personnel and the SoE will be talking in detail about it later.

On 25 April 2022, the EC had officially announced the official campaign period for the upcoming general election as well under Section 109 A (1) of the Electoral Act 2014. 

Since then a number of meetings have also been held by FEO with political parties to keep them informed and the Supervisor of Elections held a meeting last Wednesday to provide them a one (1) year update in terms of preparations going into the 2022 General Election.

Ladies and Gentleman, the election date can be announced any day now and we have to be prepared. 

I have had the opportunity to talk about some of the activities and initiatives for this election and the Supervisor of Elections will be talking about them in detail during his presentation.

I would like to end with saying that as the Commission overseeing the electoral process, our goal has always been to deliver an election that is fair and credible and broadly reflects the will of Fijians, and at the same time allows them to cast their votes with confidence, security and freedom.

Ladies and gentlemen, elections preparations are on track and the Commission and the FEO will continue to make every effort to enable every eligible Fijian to exercise their Right to Vote in this election.

I would like to say a big Vinaka Vakalevu to all our international partners and donor agencies for your continued partnership and support in the preparations for the 2022 General Election. 

Thank You.

Vinaka Vaka Levu.    

Launch of Provisional Voter List, Election Readiness Survey Report, Easy Voting Steps Guide and Accreditation Form for the 2022 General Election

by Electoral Commission

Speech by EC Chairperson, Concluding Remarks

Date: 15 September 2022, Time: 11am.

Venue: FEO Conference Room, Level 1, HQ.

Your excellencies, members of diplomatic core, ladies and gentlemen. Ni Sa Bula Vinaka and thank you for joining us at this critical juncture as we work towards delivering the 2022 General Election.

As you have all witnessed throughout todays program, we are Election ready. In every election cycle, we must constantly work on improving the experience of our voters in order to make voting easy and more accessible to the largest number of voters possible. 

The details revealed about the easy steps guide, which will be made available to persons with visual impairments suggests that we are not leaving any Fijian behind in our pursuit of a free and fair election. 

I would like to thank the Director Operations and her team, as well as the Election Disability Access Working Group for making this possible. 

I would also like to congratulate the FEO on its Election Readiness Survey Report. Because of this, we have been able to gauge levels of voter preparedness in Fiji as the nation awaits the announcement of the 2022 General Election. 

We have been able to get data to identify if there are any gaps in voter awareness and Fijians’ access to voter services. Based on this, the FEO can further enhance its strategies if needed to enable Fijians to fully prepare themselves to vote in the 2022 General Election.

Another important step in Election readiness is media accreditation. This is important to ensure compliance with the laws regarding electoral reporting, since we are in the period where media organizations, freelance journalists, broadcasters, publishers and international media will be looking to cover aspects of the general Election. 

I wish to reiterate to the media organizations as well as CSOs to obtain a copy of the Accreditation Form so that they can cover the 2022 General Election.

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the teams involved in the publication of the Provisional Voter List. This is a critical part of the electoral cycle and since it will be made public, voters now have a chance to check their names to see if it is correctly placed on the voter list.

I would urge all interested voters to take the time to check the Provisional Voter List, and alert the FEO if you have any issues. 

Based on the presentation by the Supervisor of Elections in our meeting last week, the Electoral Commission has approved that the FEO can pack and transport ballot paper books in custom designed ballot paper transport cardboard boxes if the number of candidates exceed 320. 

We have also approved that all used ballot papers at the election must only be packed and transported in the ballot box with proper security and tracking. 

While we are election ready, we will continue to review each and every step of preparations and continue to deliver more innovations so that the process of elections becomes easy and convenient for all voters.

Thank you and Vinaka vaka levu. 

 

KYE Bonanza Draw

by Electoral Commission

Statement by Electoral Commission Chairperson

Mr Mukesh Nand

KYE Bonanza Draw

Date: 09/09/2022

Time: 3pm

Venue: FEO Media Room, Toorak

Bula Vinaka Ladies and Gentlemen,  

As Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, I would like to firstly extend my sincerest appreciation to all the Fijians who took advantage of the Voter Registration Drive and came forward to register and upgrade their VoterCards.  You all are now more prepared to take part in your country’s democracy.

Ladies and gentleman. our mandate as the Commission overseeing the conduct of elections is to ensure that no Fijian gets left behind.

To this end, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Fijian Elections Office for the successful delivery of the second round of the Nationwide Voter Registration & Awareness Drive in which 58,318 Fijians were able to access voter services.

The national exercise spanning 34 days saw the FEO teams going out to 1,169 villages, 555 settlements and 174 schools in addition to the teams that were based at various urban hotspots around the country. 

The second phase added to the FEO’s ongoing efforts to further ensure that Fijians got every opportunity to register, update their voter details and upgrade to the latest Blue VoterCard ahead of the announcement of the 2022 polls.

I am told the FEO has consolidated the voter numbers after the drive and the Supervisor of Elections will be announcing the latest Voter Stats today.

Ladies and gentleman, the FEO had announced a $10,000 Bonanza to encourage Fijians to register, update their details and upgrade their VoterCards. This was the second Bonanza promotion that was organized by the FEO. 

It is my honour to preside over the Draw today to pick the 100 lucky winners who will walk away with $100 cash.

Every Fijian who accessed voter services between 1st August and 3rd September, 2022 qualified for the Draw which will be conducted electronically using a software application that will randomly select the Electronic Voter Numbers of 100 lucky winners. 

There will be 40 winners from the Central Division, 35 from the West, 15 from the North and 10 from the Eastern Division. 

Before I hand over to the Supervisor of Elections for his announcement and to coordinate the Bonanza Draw, I once again would like to thank all the Fijians who came forward and registered or upgraded their VoterCards.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Election Date can be announced any day now so I would like to urge all Fijians who are yet to register or are still holding onto the Green VoterCard to visit their nearest Voter Services Centre.

Thank You.

Vinaka Vaka Levu.     

Opening of the 2022 General Election Media Training

by Electoral Commission

Statement by Electoral Commission Chairperson, Mr Mukesh Nand

Opening of the 2022 General Election Media Training

Date: 8/09/2022

Time: 9am

Venue: FEO Ground Floor Conference Room

The Supervisor of Elections, Mr Mohammed Saneem, members of various media organizations in Fiji, ladies and gentlemen, Bula Vinaka, and a good morning to you all. 

It gives me great pleasure to address you this morning. 

The media plays a critical part in the execution of the 2022 General Election, as it is responsible for the dissemination of election information to a mass audience.  

As you are aware, we are in the period where the Writ for the election can be issued at any time. It is the time when various campaign activities are happening, political parties are seeking high levels of coverage in the media, and the general public is paying close attention to what is being said on the news. 

Now more than ever, it is important that the media is well versed with the electoral process, and disseminates the most correct and relevant information. This includes knowledge of the campaign rules, Electoral Laws, how, where, and what is happening, gender-balanced reporting and reporting about persons with disability, amongst other things. 

Every step of the way, the voting population must also be involved and informed about the current developments, and all the relevant information must be presented to the general public in the most politically neutral and factual manner. 

The 2022 General Election Media Training is the initiative of the Fijian Elections Office, and an attempt to work with the various media organizations for the benefit of the voters. 

This year, media training was done through our online, eVuli platform. Beginning July this year, the platform was made available to whoever wanted to sign up and enroll in the course. 

In the first, second and third phase of the media training, we have introduced various initiatives for journalists, journalism students and any member of the general public. 

Ultimately, the goal is to enhance reporting around elections. We, therefore, sincerely hope that all those in attendance will not only walk away with a great deal of knowledge about electoral reporting, but will share this knowledge with their colleagues in their newsrooms. 

We wish you the very best. 

Vinaka Vakalevu.   

The Electoral Commission finds that the Fiji Sun Breaches the Opinion Poll Guidelines

by Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission adopted the public opinion poll guidelines for the 2022  General Election on 5 July 2022. This was published on the Commission’s website for all  interested agencies to refer to and comply with when pertaining to the opinion poll for  the 2022 General Election. However, the Commission noted that Fiji Sun published a  public opinion poll on 6 August 2022 which did not follow the approved ESOMAR &  WAPOR guidelines.  

The Commission findings are that: 

  1. a) Fiji Sun is the parent company which directs Western Force Research to carry out  general research survey works, opinion polls for the newspaper and therefore it  is bound by the adopted guideline. 
  2. b) That western force research is a home based small business that does not have a  business website nor any social media page. The guideline provides that the  researchers are required to promptly identify themselves and unambiguously  state the purpose of the research and enable respondents to check their identity  and bona fides without difficulty. 
  3. c) The Guideline also provides that the basic principle of fair and informative  reporting requires that it be made clear on how and where the enquirer can obtain  additional details. The survey company and the media should publish all required  full details of public opinion polls on their website within hours of publication. As  such Fiji Sun- Western Force Research publication does not comply with this  standard. 
  4. d) Researchers must ensure that adequate security measures are employed to  prevent unauthorized access, manipulation and disclosure to the personal data.  Western Force Research has failed to demonstrate that it has sufficient capacity to  deliver this requirement. 
  5. e) The Guideline provided that the name of the organization which conducted the  poll and its sponsor, the organization or person who paid for the poll must be  disclosed. The Western Force Research company does not exist according to the  company search conducted and the company is purportedly owned by the name  of Mere Serukalou rather as claimed in the response. 
  6. f) In its response, Western Force Research claimed that they take a sample size of  1000 respondents based on the demographics of Fiji. The guideline requires that  researchers observe the need for samples of appropriate size and quality and  technical consideration particularly affecting pre-election polls. Such polls must  have a sample large enough to draw conclusions about voters.  
  7. g) Western Force also stated that all research survey data is handed to Fiji Sun but  also noted that this is currently not published by Fiji Sun. The guideline  commensurate that researchers and those publishing survey data must make  available sufficient information to enable the public and other stakeholders to  evaluate the results. 
  8. h) The interviews were conducted by teams targeting bus stands, markets, housing  settlements, neighborhood, taxi stands etc. The required standard requires that  exit poll interviews conducted in a public place must take special care about  respondents’ confidentiality. However, there is lack of information on how this  confidentiality was maintained by the interviews while being out on field.  
  9. i) The interviews were mostly done face to face in markets, towns, and  neighborhoods ensuring that respondents are not politically biased, politically  active or affiliated with a certain political party. The standard required outlines  that the actual question wording is critical to interpreting the findings, and to  eliminate ambiguity and misunderstanding. There is lack of information on what  questions were asked to the respondent and how it was ascertained that these  respondents were impartial.  
  10. j) The guideline also highlights that for interviews conducted face to face, the  researchers must ensure that the interviewers must be professionally trained on  how to conduct such polls, that interviewers act properly and are adequately  supervised. Again Fiji Sun-Western Force research being a home-based business  must be sponsored for carrying out such training. However, there is no mention  of sponsor details and how they train their team for conducting such a poll.
  11. k) The June poll and the recent poll on 6th August published by Western Force  Research failed to state how many interviews were done face to face, how many  were done by telephone calls and interviews through social media by divisions,  age, gender and locations. Fiji has four divisions Central, North, Eastern and West  yet the research company has left out our Maritime zones formally known as the  Eastern division and within those divisions there are zones or areas such as the  Lami area, Nasinu/Nakasi area, Nausori area and the Navua area but none of this  were mentioned in any of the polls published as per the ESOMAR/WAPOR  guideline, sampling method is vital in publishing any public opinion poll.  

Therefore, the Electoral Commission urges all agencies conducting opinion poll on the  2022 General Election to abide by the guidelines adopted by the Commission. You can  find the guidelines on our website: https://www.electoralcommission.org.fj/guidelines on-opinion-polls-published-surveys/ 

Launch of the FEO Results App

by Electoral Commission

Statement by the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Mr Mukesh Nand

Launch of the FEO Results App

18/08/2022 at 12.30pm

 

Bula Vinaka Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to be here this afternoon, as we witness the launch of the updated 2022 General Election Results App.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Electoral Commission has decided that the theme for this year’s conduct of the general election will be to deliver an election that is fair and credible and broadly reflects the will of the Fijian people, and at the same time allowing them to cast their votes with confidence, security and freedom.

As we are all aware, the most anticipated part of an election process is the results. Traditionally in Fiji, the means of transmitting results has been through the media in which the media obtain the results from the Electoral Commission and publish it widely on their channels.

I’m very, very excited to say that in the 2018 General Election, the Fijian Elections Office developed a more direct means of transmitting results to Fijians. And that meant that any Fijian who has a smartphone is able to access results for the 2018 General Election directly in the palm of their hands by downloading the Fijian Elections Office Results App.

Following the success of the Results App in 2018, as you would all be aware, I’m very excited again, when the Fijian Elections Office decided to upgrade the Results App with new features and new means of transmitting or view means of displaying results. So that any Fijian can get access to results in a very user friendly and convenient manner.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is the main intention of the Electoral Commission, where we constantly update and upgrade processes and systems so that the electoral processes in Fiji continues to develop for the betterment of the ultimate beneficiaries of the entire process.

Additionally, ladies and gentlemen, with the results being delivered in a more user friendly manner, the confidence level of Fijians in elections will also increase. The participation level will also be enhanced and Fijians will feel good that an opportunity to access election results in the palm of their own hands at their own convenience, so that they could do their own analysis. They could do their own assessments and they can do their own predictions.

So, ladies and gentlemen, the overall Results App is a welcome feature in Fijian elections. I’d like to congratulate every one that has developed and tested this app, which will be used in 2022 General Election. With that said, ladies and gentlemen, my hearty thanks to the Supervisor of Elections and his team for their energy and enthusiasm in consistently working towards improving the processes and the delivery of elections.

Thank you and Vinaka Vakalevu.

 

Fiji Labour Party Complaint against the Fiji Police Force for Breach of S111(1) of the Electoral Act 2014 dismissed

by Electoral Commission

12 August 2022

MEDIA RELEASE     

Fiji Labour Party Complaint against the Fiji Police Force for

Breach of S111(1) of the Electoral Act 2014 dismissed

 

The Electoral Commission has completed its enquiries in relation to a complaint received from the Fiji Labour Party. 

Based on the findings of the enquiries, the Electoral Commission is of the view that the Fiji Police Force is well within its power to conduct investigation and Section 111(1) of the Electoral Act has not been breached. 

The Electoral Commission therefore, dismisses the complaint from the Fiji Labour Party. 

 

-Ends-

Please forward all media queries to the FEO Communications team at communications@feo.org.fj

Electoral Commission Chairperson Speech

by Electoral Commission

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

Official handover of Braille materials from US Chargé d’Affaires

06 July 2022

FEO Conference Room @10am

 

US Chargé d’Affaires, Tony Grubel,

Representatives from the Elections Disability Access Working Group (EDAWG)

Director of the Human Rights and Social Development Division of SPC, Miles Young,

Distinguished invited guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen. 

This morning I start by repeating 2 pertinent preamble statements from the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. From an electoral perspective these statements encompass the spirit of the convention for election management bodies:

(n) Recognizing the importance for persons with disabilities of their individual autonomy and independence, including the freedom to make their own choices, 

(o) Considering that persons with disabilities should have the opportunity to be actively involved in decision-making processes about policies and programmes, including those directly concerning them

Today’s event is yet another step towards building electoral processes in Fiji that are inclusive and promote greater access and participation. Since 2014, the Fijian Elections Office has taken direct initiatives to work with Disabled Persons Organizations and other institutions that have expertise in this area. The outcomes of such collaboration does not get mentioned in everyday conversations but they truly are significant.

The Electoral Commission’s vision for the 2022 General Election is to create a platform for all Fijians to exercise their rights with confidence, security and freedom.  I draw your reference to section 43 (4) of the Electoral Act which requires that:

The facilities provided at a Polling Station where practicable must be reasonable equipped and designed to enable persons with disabilities or other special needs to cast their vote.

This morning, we received 2100 copies of ‘Assisted voting steps -the easy to read guide for the General Election’ in Braille and another such guide that is designed to enable persons with disabilities to participate in the election on their own. These materials will allow them to understand the electoral process better and participate effectively.

I take this opportunity to thank all the agencies that participated in this critical exercise and I thank the donor agencies that saw value in this essential project.  

I wish to conclude by highlighting section 42 of the Constitution of the Republic of Fiji on the rights of persons with disabilities:

A person with any disability has the right— 

(a) to reasonable access to all places, public transport and information; 

(b) to use sign language, Braille or other appropriate means of communication; and 

(c) to reasonable access to necessary materials, substances and devices relating to the person’s disability.

While today’s event marks our small steps towards facilitating the above Constitutional Rights, I am sure it will have a big impact on the ultimate participation and ownership in Fiji’s electoral processes.

Thank you and vinaka vakalevu. 

Statement by EC Chairperson

by Electoral Commission

Electoral Commission Chairperson

Mr Mukesh Nand

Vehicle Handover @ FEO Warehouse 

30 June 2022

 

The High Commissioner of India, 

Supervisor of Elections,

Distinguished invited guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

 

Bula Vinaka to you all.

First and foremost, I must thank the people and the Government of India for stepping up to assist the Electoral Commission[‘EC’] and the Fijian Elections Office[‘FEO’] by donating four (4) Mahindra Double Cab Vans today.

As you know this is a very important year not only for the nation but also for the Commission and the FEO as we prepare for the 2022 General Election.

An election poses to be the largest logistics exercise that any country would conduct and such a massive operation must always be supported by the presence of logistics equipment such as vehicles for transport.  

Considering the effort that is required to conduct an election in a day as well as the requirements for the logistics for the FEO, such an important gesture by the Indian Government will go a long way in facilitating the requirements of elections. 

The EC and the FEO have always been positively assisted by the Government of India and these holds true with our collaboration in the 2014 and 2018 General Elections with the assistance of vehicles.

These vehicles I assure to His Excellency, the High Commissioner, will be put to good use and will definitely be an important part of the logistical exercise for the 2022 General Election.  

Indeed, we are very thankful to the Indian Government and the Indian High Commission for their support and assistance and we look forward to your continued participation in our future events. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the EC and the FEO have accomplished nearly all the election readiness tasks and processes. We are election ready. Today’s generous donation will contribute to cost effective delivery of elections this year. The polling venue directory is another significant milestone that signals the professional approach we are taking to conduct this election. 

I also thank the hardworking staff of the FEO who have been very diligent and patient in their readiness for the election and we commend them for the assistance they
provide to the voters and the general public.

With the assistance of our international partners and the support of our local stakeholders, we intend to make the 2022 General Election a platform for all Fijians to express their will with Confidence, Security and Freedom.

Thank you and vinaka vakalevu.