Electoral Commission proposes 30% gender quota for party lists

Women make up nearly half of Fiji’s population, yet only a small fraction of its lawmakers.

In the 2022 General Election, just 10 out of 55 Members of Parliament were women, sparking ongoing debate about gender balance in politics.

Now, the Electoral Commission is proposing a new measure that could change that: a 30 per cent gender quota in political party candidate lists.

During joint parliamentary submissions by the Electoral Commission and the Supervisor of Elections on Monday, proposed amendments to the Electoral Act were outlined to increase women’s participation in future elections.

Opposition MP Faiyaz Koya questioned what had been done since the 2022 polls to address the low number of female candidates and representatives.

“We’ve been talking about this for years; there are still a very small number of women candidates. What has actually been done since 2022 to change that?” he asked.

Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa responded that a proposed amendment submitted to the Fiji Law Reform Commission would require each political party’s nomination list to include at least 30 per cent of each gender.

“When we looked at the previous elections, we saw women’s wings existed in parties, but their empowerment within those parties wasn’t strong,” Ms Mataiciwa explained.

“So instead of major legislative changes, we recommended starting with the party lists, ensuring gender balance before we touch other sections of the law.”

She explained that while women’s wings exist within parties, their empowerment remains weak. The recommendation, based on consultations with women’s organisations and international best practices, aims to ensure gender balance in candidate lists before broader reforms are considered.

“We thought, let’s start with party lists and see if the quota system works in Fiji’s context before we move to broader reforms,” she said.

Ms Mataiciwa added that many potential female candidates express frustration over barriers within their own parties. She said that while education and awareness are important, political parties must ultimately open the door for women.

“We can empower women through education and awareness, but ultimately, the political parties themselves must open the door for them,” she said.

Mr Koya welcomed the effort but urged stakeholders to ensure the quota is meaningful, not tokenistic.

If approved, the amendment could be in place before the next general election, marking a major step toward stronger female participation in Fiji’s democracy.

Feedback: rariqi.turner@fijisun.com.fj