Five days ‘not enough’ for referendum voters: FCOSS

The Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) has warned that the National Referendum Bill allows voters too little time to understand referendum questions before casting their votes.

FCOSS executive director Vani Catanasiga told the Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights yesterday that the Bill requires referendum questions to be published just five days before polling day.

She said this fell well short of international best practice and risked leaving voters uninformed.

Ms Catanasiga said international standards recommend a minimum of four weeks to allow for public scrutiny, debate and understanding of referendum questions.

She cited Australia’s Indigenous Voice referendum as an example of adequate preparation time.

Ms Catanasiga said the referendum question in Australia was announced in March 2023, with the vote held in October 2023, allowing months of public discussion and debate.

FCOSS compared Fiji’s proposed timeline with standards set by the Venice Commission, the European Commission for Democracy through Law, which provides global guidelines on democratic referendums.

Ms Catanasiga also raised concerns that the Bill does not require referendum questions to be published in iTaukei and Hindi.

She said English was not the first language for many Fijians and urged that questions be made available in all major languages to ensure inclusivity and understanding.

FCOSS further urged the committee to reconsider clauses 22 and 23 of the Bill, which restrict political campaigning, warning they could increase voter apathy.

The organisation also recommended that civil society observers be allowed throughout the entire referendum process, not only on polling day, to improve transparency and public trust.