A record number of candidates will contest in the upcoming general election.

With nine political parties already registered, two more parties are expected to apply for registration.

One of the two parties is the proposed Kingdom United Party, whose application is being processed by the Fijian Elections Office (FEO).

This would also mean a record number of candidates would be contesting this general election.

If we have 11 confirmed parties, each fielding the maximum number of 55 candidates, we would see 605 candidates, more than double what we had seen in 2014 and 2018 general elections.

The election ballot paper in its current design and size may not be able to accommodate 605 candidates.

Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem, in response to questions confirmed that the ballot paper could accommodate for the increased number of candidates, said “but the size of the ballot paper will increase significantly”.

When questioned on whether the FEO would consider amending the design of the ballot paper, Mr Saneem said, “the design of the ballot paper is regulated by law and the FEO will comply with the law.”

In the 2014 election, 248 candidates had contested while 235 candidates contested the 2018 election.