People’s Alliance leads with 17,737 votes as official results come in for 419 of the 2071 polling stations

The People’s Alliance is leading the official 2022 general elections results tally with 17,737 votes after the completion of the count at 419 of the 2071 polling stations.

This is 49.78 percent of the votes counted.

The FijiFirst Party is in second place with 9,310 votes which is 26.13 percent of the votes.

SODELPA is in third place with 2,947 votes which is 8.27 percent of the votes counted. NFP has 2,022 votes which is 5.67 percent of the votes counted.

Unity Fiji has 1,332 votes, We Unite Fiji has 909 votes, Fiji Labour Party has 701 votes, All People’s Party 522 votes and New Generation Party has 130 votes.

Independent candidates Rajendra Sharma and Ravinesh Reddy have 18 and 5 votes respectively.

Under section 89 of the Electoral Act, immediately upon closing of the polls, the counting of ballot papers is to be undertaken and completed in the respective polling station by the presiding officer and such election officials designated by him or her.

The figures in the protocol of results must be entered by the presiding officer at each step of the counting process. The presiding officer must proceed continuously with the counting of the votes until the count is complete.

The Act says the Supervisor may conduct a recount of any ballot box.

Section 97 states that following completion of the protocol of results, the presiding officer must sign it and immediately notify the Supervisor by the most expeditious method, including by telephone or any electronic means, of the results or the total number of votes cast for each candidate, as contained in the final protocol of results.

A copy of the final protocol of results must be immediately posted by the presiding officer in a publicly accessible place at the polling station, such as a notice board, another copy kept inside the ballot box and a copy sent to the Supervisor by the most expeditious method.

Section 103 of the Electoral Act states that after the original of the final protocol of results are received from all the polling stations and after all the votes received by each candidate at each polling station is recorded on the National Results Tally, the Supervisor shall prepare the Final National Results Tally, which must contain the total number of votes received by each candidate and the total number of votes received by each political party.