651,168 Voters Registered: Saneem

The total number of registered voters is 651,168 and the public should not be misled by the estimated figures given by the Bureau of Statistics in terms of voter numbers.

This was the sentiment by the Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem. This was the figure as at June 30, 2021.

He said some media had reported that the Fiji Bureau of Statistics estimated that in the year 2019/2020, 570,327 were 18 years and above.

“While this figure from the Bureau of Statistics is an estimate to begin with, it does not hold against actual direct registration platforms such the voter registration data or even the latest statistics on those who have been vaccinated in terms of the numbers published by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services,” Mr Saneem said.

“As of September 14, the Ministry of Health reported that 573, 247 individuals have been vaccinated. The voter registration figures stood at 650,081 as at 31 December 2021.”

The Fijian Elections Office appreciated robust discussions on the Voter Roll and welcomed arguments on the veracity of the register.

Vested interest

Mr Saneem said the FEO also recognised that various stakeholders had vested interest in the roll.

“However, the utmost priority of the FEO is to ensure that it upholds the principles in section 53 of the Constitution – one person, one vote, one value,” he said.

“We note some individuals are being overly dramatic about it instead of verifying with the FEO before making wild, rather malicious allegations.”

Mr Saneem pointed out that the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in the 2012 publication ‘Handbook for the Observation of Voter Registration’ explained the difference in methodologies for census as opposed to voter registration.

He said the number of differences between census and population registration should be noted.

He said the census enumerates all people found by interviewers during the days of the exercise, but potentially omits those absent from their place of residence, was usually devoid of personal identification and based on the current place of residence.

He said population registration was conducted over an extended time frame and does not register non-citizens residing in the country on a short-term basis, accurate personal information was collected about all citizens of a country and under strict data protection rules and operated with rigorous terms.

Mr Saneem said the FEO was preparing for the publication for the first Provisional Polling Venue Voter Lists for the 2022 General Election which was due on September 30, 2021.

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