Election to follow review of 2013 Constitution: PM

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has indicated that the next general election will take place once the review of the 2013 Constitution is completed.

The Prime Minister did not say when would the Bill to amend the constitution be tabled in Parliament.

However, he had told the media in earlier interviews that the Bill would be tabled before Parliament ended this year.

Speaking to this masthead last night, Mr Rabuka acknowledged that the process took longer than expected but stressed that it remained a priority.

Mr Rabuka said a Cabinet sub-committee would meet to conclude discussions before the review paper was tabled in Parliament.

Speaking to this masthead last night, Mr Rabuka said the general election would not be delayed, even as the Government worked to finalise the constitutional review.

“We will wait for the constitutional review, then we’ll have the election,” he said.

The Supreme Court opinion allowing for the amendment of the constitution was passed in August 2025, with the Prime Minister saying it would be tabled in Parliament before the year ended.

Mr Rabuka said the election timeline would not shift, regardless of what the review recommened.

“The election must happen between December and February of 2027. Whatever happens in the constitutional review, the election will go ahead, with or without amendments.”

An opinion by former long-serving permanent secretary, Jioji Kotobalavu, published in yesterday’s Fiji Sun said the review of the 2013 Constitution would take more than two years because it would need to include the recommendations on the reforming of the current electoral laws.

Under the 2013 Constitution, the maximum term of Parliament is four years before the supervisor of elections issues a writ of election, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister to dissolve Parliament.

“We can safely assume that the next general election will be held under the electoral provisions of the 2013 Constitution,” Mr Kotobalavu said.

“A Justice Fatiaki-led Law Reform Commission was mandated by the Government to undertake a comprehensive review of all the electoral laws. It has completed this review and submitted its report.

“The commission’s recommendations on amendments or reform to the current election provisions in the 2013 Constitution cannot be dealt with separately from a wider and holistic review of the 2013 Constitution. Such a separate and comprehensive review of the 2013 Constitution will require at least two to three years.”

But Mr Rabuka’s latest comments confirm that any reform efforts must fit within the fixed electoral timetable.