Parliament committee rejects move to scrap election app
The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence recommended that the app be retained and strengthened rather than discontinued.
Thursday 23 July 2026 | 14:00
Instead of abandoning the app and reverting to the media centre model used in the 2014 and 2018 elections, the committee recommended the FEO subject it to independent testing, debugging and live-condition simulations, supported by automated validation controls.
A parliamentary committee has rejected the Fijian Elections Office's (FEO) decision to scrap its Results Mobile App, warning that removing it could fuel speculation and misinformation ahead of the 2026-2027 General Election.
In its Consolidated Review Report of the Electoral Commission's 2023 and 2024 Annual Reports, tabled in Parliament this month, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence recommended that the app be retained and strengthened rather than discontinued.
The committee found that confusion on election night in 2022 resulted from human error in manually transferring data, not a fault with the app itself.
Related stories
"Its removal would create a vacuum that could be filled by speculation and misinformation," the committee, chaired by Deputy Speaker Lenora Qereqeretabua, stated.
Instead of abandoning the app and reverting to the media centre model used in the 2014 and 2018 elections, the committee recommended the FEO subject it to independent testing, debugging and live-condition simulations, supported by automated validation controls.
Electoral Commission chairman Justice Usaia Ratuvili had earlier told the committee the app was scrapped because it was "not properly tested" before the 2022 General Election, adding that live results would instead be transmitted directly to media organisations.
The recommendation comes as Fiji moves closer to its next General Election.
Under the 2013 Constitution, polling must be held between three years and six months, and four years, from Parliament's first sitting, placing the election window between August 2026 and February 6, 2027.
Asked whether the next election could be held under a new Constitution, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the Government was focused on the existing constitutional process.
"We just work on the programme that is set before us. According to the constitution, we must have an election within four years of the previous election," Mr Rabuka said.
The committee's report also highlighted prolonged governance disruptions within the Electoral Commission during 2023 and 2024.
