Electoral Commission had to counter false information in 2018 as various political leaders attempted to discredit the results - Maharaj

The Electoral Commission had to divert considerable effort and resources to counter false information with accurate and credible information as they had to deal with various political leaders who produced articles that attempted to undermine the credibility of the elections and futile attempts had been made to discredit the results in 2018.

This has been highlighted by the Chairperson of the Justice, Law and Human Rights Parliamentary Committee and Assistant Minister for Employment, Alvick Maharaj while tabling the Electoral Commission 2018 Annual Report in Parliament.

Maharaj says the Committee was also advised that one of the main challenges faced by the Commission was the spread of false information about the election on social media and various other platforms.

He says however, quick action by the Supervisor of Elections ensured that the misinformation was quickly identified and clarified.

The Chair says the Committee commends the Commission for the tremendous achievement in 2018 but they believes it is prudent to recommend that the Commission through the Fijian Elections Office continues with its advocacy program on the election which is in line with the Office’s strategic plan 2020/23 where one goal is to strengthen electoral participation through effective outreach and engagement program.

He adds the Electoral Commission is commended for being able to address the challenges encountered in the 2018 General Elections which included the spread of false news about the election via social media.