Who sits on your town or city council will directly affect services in your community — from cleaner streets to better roads and drainage.
That is the message from Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa during fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan, as she highlights why Fijians should pay close attention to the upcoming local government elections.
Mataiciwa says councillors are the voice of the people in council meetings, raising issues affecting neighbourhoods and helping shape decisions on how services are delivered.
She says the councils are responsible for services many people take for granted, including rubbish collection, drainage, road maintenance, public parks, town planning and beautification projects.
Explaining how the ward system will work, Mataiciwa says Suva will have four wards: Suva, Samabula, Muanikau and Tamavua.
Insert: Four Wards 26th April 26 PT
She says each ward will have its own list of candidates for voters to choose from.
Mataiciwa says people can visit the Fijian Elections Office website, check the municipality map books and type in their street name, village or informal settlement to find out which ward they belong to.
She also reveals that 53 villages, along with informal settlements located within municipal boundaries, will be included in the local government elections, giving more residents an opportunity to have their say on issues affecting their communities.
Mataiciwa is urging people to read the civic education handbook on the local government elections, available through councils, so they can better understand why their vote matters and how council decisions directly impact daily life.
People have to register for the local government elections.
The requirements include that you have to be registered on the National Register of Voters and you have to be a resident in the ward for at least 3 months to vote in that specific ward.
The local government elections will be held on one of the Saturdays in September this year.
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