Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

Launch of Pre-Poll

Nasele Community Hall, Naitasiri

05/12/22 @8:00am

Fellow Electoral Commissioners

Members of the Observer Group,

Members of the Media,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Bula Vinaka and a very warm welcome to you all this morning.

As per the electoral calendar, we are on WD+35 and today marks the commencement of Pre-Polling for the 2022 General Election.

Voters who are living in remote places, members of the Disciplined Forces, Residents of Nursing Homes or Health Care Facilities and those under pre-trial detention or sentence of imprisonment, will be exercising their Right to Vote.

Pre-Poll will take place from today right up until 9th December 2022.

Ladies and gentlemen, voters who are voting under Pre-Poll are required to vote only in the Pre-Poll areas which they are assigned to.

Pre-Poll Voting will be conducted at 613 venues for 77,907 registered voters with 109 venues in the Central Division, 175 venues in the Western Division, 140 venues in the North and 189 venues in the Eastern Division.

The ballots that will be cast here will be transported to a central location for counting on Election Night.

The full Pre-Poll Schedule containing details of the venues, dates and times when the FEO teams will be at those venues to conduct Pre-Polling has already been published and is available on the Electoral Commission website on 

www.electoralcommission.org.fj/

Ladies and gentleman, today marks the commencement of polling for the 2022 General Election and I urge all voters to take pride and exercise their right to vote.

Thank you and vinaka vakalevu. 

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

Notice of Nominations

FEO Media Center

01 November 2022

8am 

The Supervisor of Elections,

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen;

Bula Vinaka and a very warm welcome to you all this morning.

Ladies and gentlemen, upon receipt of the Writ for the 2022 General Election, the Electoral Commission would like to announce that the Nomination Period for candidates wishing to contest the 2022 General Election is now open. 

Pursuant to section 22 of the Electoral Act 2014, the Nomination Period for the receipt of nomination of candidates for the General Election shall be from 8am on the 1st of November 2022 to 12pm on the 14th of November 2022.

Ladies and gentlemen, candidate nominations are to be delivered to the Fijian Elections Office situated at the St Stephen’s Building in Victoria Parade, Suva.

There will be two types of nomination forms for the 2022 General Election. 

Form one [1] is for Independent Candidate nominations and Form two [2] is for Political Party Candidate nominations. Both of these forms can be accessed from the Fijian Elections Office website: www.feo.org.fj/about-us/forms/

Ladies and gentlemen, nomination forms are to be accompanied with deposits of $1,000.00 for each Party candidate and $1,000.00 for each Independent candidate.

Those who wish to register their nomination as Independent candidate must also present a list of 1000 supporters in the approved form along with their nomination form.

Any candidate who wishes to withdraw his or her nomination form, can do so by providing a written notice to the Supervisor of Elections no later than 12pm on 15 November 2022. 

Once the Nominations Period has ended, the Supervisor of Elections will proceed to vet all applications and decide whether an Independent Nomination or Party Nomination has met all the criteria in order to be approved as a Candidate for the 2022 General Election.

The approved List of Candidates for the 2022 General Election will then be displayed at the place of nomination.

Following this, objections to any candidate nominations and appeals to the decision of the Supervisor of Elections must be received by the Electoral Commission at 59-63 High Street, Toorak, Suva no later than 4.00pm on 15 November 2022.

Once these requirements have been met and any Objections and Appeals appropriately dealt with, the FEO will proceed with the National Candidates List Ball Draw to allocate individual numbers to approved candidates.

Thank you. 

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

Issuance of Writ of Elections

Suva – 31 October 2022

Fellow Electoral Commission Members, 

The Supervisor of Elections,

Invited Guests,

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen.

Bula Vinaka and a very warm welcome to you all. 

It is my pleasure to announce that following the issuance of the Writ for the 2022 General Election by His Excellency the President, Ladies and Gentlemen under section 59 of the Constitution, we are now officially in Election mode.

The Writ for an Election that has been issued contains the following details:

1. Election for Fifty-five (55) members of Parliament;
2. Date and time on which, and the place at which, nominations of candidates for the Election are to be received by; and
3. Date on which the poll will be held for the 2022 General Election;
4. Date on or before which the Writ is returnable to the President.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Electoral Commission, under section 75 of the Constitution, is responsible for the conduct of free and fair elections in accordance with written law governing elections in Fiji. The Electoral Commission will follow the law as it is – and that is our prescribed role in the Constitution.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2022 General Election will be held on 14 December 2022, with Polling Stations open from 7.30am to 6.00pm.  Pre-poll Voting and Postal Voting will also be available where, for various reasons set out in the law for voters who are unable to attend their assigned Polling Station on election day.  There will be further information about these options in the coming days.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the total number of registered voters as of 28 October 2022 stands at 692,918 out of which 345,118 are females and 347,800 are males. 

At the close of Political Party registration, [9] registered Political Parties are eligible to contest the 2022 General Election. 

They are:

All Peoples Party, FijiFirst, Fiji Labour Party, National Federation Party, New Generation Party, Social Democratic Liberal Party, The People’s Alliance, Unity Fiji and We Unity Fiji Party.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in the coming days, the Electoral Commission will issue various notices as per our responsibilities under the Electoral Act 2014. 

The Electoral Commission is responsible for the conduct of free and fair elections in accordance with the laws and we will work hard to ensure that the 2022 General Election becomes the platform where all Fijians can vote with confidence, vote in safety and freedom.

Finally, I would like to wish the Fijian Elections Office all the best in their conduct of the 2022 General Election, and I urge all registered voters to please vote in the upcoming election.

Thank you.

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

Announcement of 2022 General Election 

FEO Ground Floor Conference Room

30/10/22 

The Supervisor of Elections,

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen.

Bula Vinaka and a very warm welcome to you all. 

The Prime Minister has announced that 14 December 2022 will be the date for the General Election. 

The Electoral Commission, under Section 75 of the Constitution, is responsible for the conduct of Elections in Fiji; and I would like to assure all Fijians that we are ready.  The Fijian Elections Office has concluded all its Election preparation activities. 

On the day the Writ for the 2022 General Election is issued, the Fijian Elections Office will complete voter registration. The FEO is also on track in terms of staffing and resources. 

Ladies and gentlemen, with the announcement of the 2022 General Election, I would like to inform all voters that Postal Voting Applications are now open.

Every registered Fijian who is overseas will be required to apply for a Postal Vote. Postal Voting Application forms can be accessed on services.feo.org.fj.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Writ for the 2022 General Election will be issued tomorrow, the 31st of October 2022. This means that Fijians need to know of a few very important requirements. 

1. Any Fijian who will turn 18 years old before the Writ is issued can still register; 
2. Voter registration will cease following the issue of the Writ, at the time prescribed by the Writ. So, if you still have not registered, this is your opportunity to do so;
3. Political Party registrations will also cease immediately after the Writ is issued. 

Following the issue of the Writ, the Fijian Elections Office will publish a timeline of important dates for all Fijians to note. 

As announced earlier, the 2022 General Election will take place on 14 December 2022 with Polling Stations open from 7.30am, and will close at 6.00pm after the last voter in the queue at 6pm has voted. 

Following the issuance of the Writ, candidate nominations will open. 

The last day for filing candidate nominations is 12pm on 14 November 2022. Any person who wishes to withdraw their nominations may do so by 12.00noon the next day. 

As of today, ladies and gentlemen, the Fijian Elections Office expects to operate 855 Election Day Polling Venues and 613 Pre-Poll Venues around the country by employing 7,541 staff.  

We have successfully completed the training of Election Officials, Media and Political Parties, and have concluded the “Know Your Election” Voter Awareness Drive.

The Fijian Elections Office has also opened the 1500 toll free helpline where voters can call in to make basic enquiries such as the location of a voter’s Polling Venue.

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, the Electoral Commission would like to ask you all to complete a checklist: 

1. Do you know where your Polling Venue is? If yes, help a friend find theirs by texting their Voter Number to 1500.
2. Do you have a VoterCard or any other valid photo ID card? If yes, help another voter keep their card intact. 
3. Do you know how to vote? If yes, help another voter. If not, visit www.feo.org.fj for the latest information on how to vote. 

We are optimistic that this year’s Election will set new benchmarks. This can only be possible if all voters exercise their democratic right and come out to vote.  

The Fijian Elections Office has conducted a comprehensive voter education and awareness exercise to ensure that voters know what to expect at their Polling Venue and how to mark their Ballot Paper. 

It is incumbent on us to ensure that every effort has been made to make the 2022 General Election simple, easy and convenient.

With these words, ladies and gentlemen I once again urge all eligible Fijians to familiarize themselves with the voting processes and, come out to vote.

 Thank you and vinaka vakalevu.  

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

MOU Signing between Ministry of Rural & Maritime Development, MITT and Transport & Land Transport Authority

27 October 2022 @3.30pm

FEO Conference Room

The Supervisor of Elections Mr Mohammed Saneem

The Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Rural & Maritime Development

Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism & Transport

Board chair for the Land Transport Authority

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentleman,

Bula Vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all.

Pursuant to section 75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Fiji 2013, the Electoral Commission has the responsibility to conduct free and fair elections in accordance with written law governing elections in Fiji.

In section 3 of the Electoral Act, 2014, the Electoral Commission is permitted to make instructions consistent with this Act and the Constitution that are necessary for the transparent and orderly conduct of free and fair elections.

In this regard, it is noted that in 2014 and 2018, the Electoral Commission engaged the voluntary services of bus operators in Fiji to provide transportation on election day to members of the general public. 

This arrangement did not involve any fixed schedules, payment arrangements and was largely based on the discretion of the operators. There are many locations (such as inner city and town roads and the distant rural locations) where bus services are not available. It was also noted that despite the availability of services in some areas, the turnout was lower than expected.

It is with this experience that the Electoral Commission formed its view in the early part of the election cycle that the Fijian Elections Office will need to directly plan, prepare, execute and monitor the provision of transportation services at the General Election. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the FEO is placed at the most central position when it comes to determining the routes and requirements for each polling location. 

Of course, it was noted that the FEO will have to organize transportation services that are best suited to the needs of each polling location. This has to also be equated against the availability of the transportation mechanism and coupled with that, the organization of a suitable mechanism to monitor that the services will be available. 

As far as practicable, the FEO needs to allocate a transport that best works in the locality. 

While the Electoral Commission left the minor mechanics of the arrangements to the FEO operations team, a few essential guiding instructions were given to the FEO. 

The FEO can work with the already established government machinery on the ground such as Advisory Councilors and Turaga Ni Koro’s. Ideally, as far as practical, bus services in urban areas could at-least be on an hourly basis. 

The other important expectation is that the transportation services will start as early as 7am and continue in higher frequency in the morning half of the day.

Ladies and gentlemen, this initiative will surely contribute positively towards creating greater access for voters to polling stations on Election Day. 

I would like to thank all the agencies that have partnered with the FEO to deliver this essential component of the general election preparations.

We are going with a multi-stakeholder approach because we want to ensure that on Election Day the FEO is not spread too thin to handle some of these things and I would like to specifically thank the Ministries for helping out.

Thank you. Vinaka Vakalevu.

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. 

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.    

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. 

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.     

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.