Constitutional Officers Commission To Meet This Friday
The Constitutional Offices Commission (COC) will convene this Friday.
Prime Minister and COC Chair Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed that the agenda would include recommendation of new members for the Electoral Commission to the President.
The Commission has been without four of its members since the expiration of their terms in March this year.
Former chair Mukesh Nand also resigned from the commission on June 23.
The only member left in the Electoral Commission (EC) is Commissioner Ateca Ledua.
The EC has not been fulfilling its mandated duties since March because the commission did not meet the quorum.
One of the tasks the EC was expected to carry out was the recommendation of names to fill the vacant FijiFirst seats in Parliament.
According to the 2013 Fiji Constitution, Section 64 (1) Subject to subsection (3), if the seat held by a member of Parliament who is a member of a political party becomes vacant, then the Electoral Commission must award that seat to the candidate of the same party who, in the most recent general election, is the highest ranked out of those candidates of that party who did not get elected to Parliament and who is still available to serve at the time of the vacancy.
The FijiFirst party is vocal about the need to fill these vacant seats ahead of the National Budget Debate that would go on from July 10 to 14.
Qiliho Tribunal
Meanwhile, Attorney-General Siromi Turaga has confirmed that a tribunal was setup to hear suspended Commissioner of Police Sitiveni Qiliho’s case.
Mr Turaga will provide more information after the COC meeting this week.
