Rabuka warns against ‘voter burnout’

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has warned that holding the Local Government Elections, a Constitutional Referendum and the 2026 General Election within six months would exhaust voters and weaken Fiji’s democracy.

Mr Rabuka said voter burnout would not happen on his watch.

“When citizens are asked to the polls too frequently in a short space of time, fatigue sets in, participation drops and the quality of our democracy suffers,” he said yesterday.

The warning came as Government confirmed the Local Government Elections would be deferred until after the General Election.

Mr Rabuka said the decision was driven by concerns over voter fatigue and the estimated $18 million cost of holding the municipal polls.

He described the move as a “strategic pause”, not a withdrawal from Government’s commitment to restore elected local councils.

Mr Rabuka also dismissed suggestions that the 2026 General Election could face a similar delay.

He said Cabinet had not discussed such a possibility.

“We are bound by the 2013 Constitution to have that,” he said, adding there was “little leeway” to move those dates.

Under the Constitution, the next General Election must be held between June 24, 2026, and February 6, 2027.

Mr Rabuka said the $18 million saved from deferring the Local Government Elections would instead be redirected to easing cost-of-living pressures on households.

Interim municipal administrators have been asked to continue in their roles until elected councils are restored after the General Election.