FEO projects 750,000 voters for next General Election

The Fijian Elections Office is projecting around 750,000 registered voters for Fiji’s next General Election as nationwide voter registration and awareness campaigns continue across the country.

Speaking during a media briefing yesterday, Supervisor of Election Ana Mataciwa said voter registration remains ongoing, with outreach teams currently operating across all four divisions.

“So our projection for the upcoming General Election, we’re looking at 750,000 voters to be registered,” she said.

Mataciwa said the Elections Office would release updated figures for the National Register of Voters, including divisional and age group statistics, after local outreach activities conclude in June and overseas registration ends in July.

“We will provide the next update on our total registered number of voters after we round off our outreach,” she said.

She confirmed that teams are visiting villages, settlements, tertiary institutions and secondary schools to register eligible voters and assist people needing updates or replacements for their voter cards.

“The purpose of this outreach was to provide both voter registration and awareness,” Mataciwa said.

Between May 1 and May 15, the Elections Office recorded more than 3,100 new voter registrations nationwide.

The office is also providing mobile voter registration services for elderly and sick voters who are unable to visit voter service centres.

“So, we provide mobile registration. They can just contact us through our usual communication channels,” she said.

Overseas voter registration is scheduled from June 19 to July 11, with planned visits to the west coast of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Papua New Guinea.

“These were the places requested by Fijians living abroad and if there are other requests we will facilitate,” Mataciwa said.

The Elections Office also confirmed that eight political parties are currently registered for the next General Election, while two proposed party applications remain pending.

The registered parties are the All-People Party, Fiji Labour Party, National Federation Party, SODELPA, People's Alliance, Unity Fiji, We Unite Fiji Party and People First.