Delay in glitch investigation concerns Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission of Fiji has expressed dismay that the country is still waiting for answers on the infamous “glitch” that took the country by surprise during the counting of votes in the 2022 General Elections.

Commission Chair, Barbara Malimali says every day, every week, and every month that we wait for an investigation to be done is costing the country in unnecessary rent as the ballot boxes have to be stored.

Malimali adds that the continued delay in finalizing the election audit will have other repercussions.

She says it will also leave the Fijian Elections Office with insufficient time to undertake registration for the municipal elections which the government wishes to hold in a few months, and the political parties insufficient time to campaign.

Malimali says it will give them very little time to reach out to women to encourage them to come forward as candidates.

At its meeting yesterday, the commission discussed the likely consequences of the continued delay especially since we are now into the second year of Fiji’s election cycle and with Local Government Elections looming.

Malimali states that the implications of this delay are of serious concern to the Commission.

She says they understand that the Government has its processes to follow however, it is now nearly a year since the FEO took this matter up with them, and the public deserve answers.

The Chair states that a key goal of the commission in conjunction with the FEO, is to rebuild public trust and confidence in the electoral system.

She says the continued delay in undertaking an independent audit is not helping them to rebuild that trust with the main stakeholders, the people of Fiji.

Yesterday’s meeting is the sixth held by the commission since the beginning of the year.

The commission has undertaken substantial work during this time, in particular drafting amendments to the three main electoral laws, and reviewing Local Government Regulations drafted by the FEO.

The commission says it is currently reviewing internal Human Resources and Operational Policies, and dealing with staff recruitment and budget issues.

It has also participated in two observer missions to Pakistan and Indonesia, and two local workshops on Protecting Electoral Processes in the Information Environment and Climate Change and Gender.