Constitution amendment consultations to begin this week

Government is expected to make an announcement this week on public consultations for the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed yesterday that consultations should begin this week, allowing the special parliamentary committee the 30 days allocated to it before the Bill is brought back to Parliament.

On October 2, the Bill was referred to an 11-member special parliamentary committee, including four Opposition members, to scrutinise the text and gather public input.

This followed the Bill's second reading on October 2, where 38 members voted in favour, five against, nine abstained and one member was absent, exceeding the required 35-vote two-thirds majority.

Public consultations will now be held, during which stakeholders will be invited to make submissions before the committee reports back to Parliament on November 2.

Following the committee's report, the Bill will return to Parliament for a third-reading debate and vote, which will require a two-thirds majority to pass.

If approved by Parliament with the required majority, the proposed amendment will proceed to a national referendum.

Last week, Mr Rabuka proposed December 9 as the referendum date. However, opposition groups, including the National Federation Party (NFP), and the Electoral Commission have raised concerns, noting that the timing and rules governing a referendum remain subject to statutory processes.