CRR calls for multiple referendums on new Constitution

A single yes-or-no referendum will not be enough for Fiji’s proposed new Constitution, says Centre for Democracy and Dialogue executive director Nilesh Lal.

Mr Lal said the country should instead hold several referendums, each dealing with specific provisions.

“The referendum cannot be a simple yes or no, because there are so many substantive changes that you are proposing,” he said.

“If you are doing those things, it should call for several referendums.”

He said referendum questions were normally narrow, rather than broad.

“There might be provisions that some people will agree with, there might be other provisions that people do not agree with,” he said.

Mr Lal said before any vote, the draft Constitution must first go to the people for comment, then be voted on twice in Parliament, as required under the 30-day rule, before a referendum is called.

“You need to release the draft to the people, and you need to get people's views on the draft,” he said.

He said Fiji still had no referendum Bill in place, more than nine months after it was first proposed in December 2025.

Mr Lal said the Constitutional Review Commission process itself lacked legitimacy from the outset, citing a two-month consultation period and only 1,220 submissions from a population of about 900,000 — a lower proportion than both the 2013 review and the Ghai Commission, which drew more than 7,000 submissions.

He also questioned why Cabinet, a political body, would have the final say over an independent commission's work.

“It does not really make sense,” he said.

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