It would be impossible to introduce a new voting system within the remaining time before the next general election.
This was stressed by the Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan as the Fijian Elections Office prepares to conduct the polls under the existing 2013 Constitution and current electoral laws.
Many people are still asking whether the next general elections will be held under the current electoral system.
Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka has already confirmed to fijivillage News that the next elections will be held under the legal timeline by February 6th 2027, and logically it will be held under the current electoral system.
Mataiciwa says the current single-constituency voting system remains in place, with no changes to the ballot paper, which will continue to feature candidate numbers.
She says any major changes to the voting system would take considerable time to implement.
Insert: It will take time for us to operationalise it 30th Oct
The Supervisor says introducing constituency-based voting would require electoral boundaries to be drawn up, polling venues to be identified within those boundaries and changes to voter registration arrangements.
She says the Fijian Elections Office would also need to determine whether voters could be assigned to new constituencies using the existing registration system or whether a nationwide re-registration exercise would be required.
Mataiciwa explains that voters originally gave consent to be registered under the existing system, and the Fijian Elections Office cannot simply assign them to new constituencies without their consent.
She says another major challenge would be educating voters about a new system, as Fijians have become familiar with the current arrangements over the past three general elections.
She says changes would also affect ballot paper printing, as different constituencies would require different ballot papers featuring their respective candidates.
However, when questioned on whether these changes could be implemented within the remaining election timeline, the Supervisor says it would be impossible.
The Supervisor also confirms that concerns about last-minute changes to the voting system have been raised with the Parliamentary Standing Committee.
She says both the Fijian Elections Office and the Electoral Commission have communicated their concerns about the operational challenges involved.
Mataiciwa adds the Electoral Commission has also reassured Fijians of its readiness to conduct the general elections under the existing legal framework.
The Supervisor stresses that preparations are continuing under the 2013 Constitution and the current voting system.
