SODELPA referred to FICAC by the Fijian Elections Office

SODELPA has been referred to FICAC for breach of Electoral Act provisions.

The Fijian Elections Office says it has found that SODELPA has breached Section 116 of the Electoral Act in failing to immediately publish the sources of funding for its proposed initiatives as part of its campaign for the 2022 General Election.

Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem says since the commencement of the campaign period, the FEO and the Electoral Commission have emphasized to all parties to adhere to the campaign rules and in this case, they found that despite publishing most of its campaign promises as early as 30th April 2022, SODELPA has failed to specify how they are going to fund the promises to date.

Saneem further clarified that the law requires the political party to do so immediately.

Given that the breach has continued from as early as 30 April 2022, Saneem has today exercised his powers under the Electoral Act and directed SODELPA to remove the campaign materials before 7pm tonight.