Seruiratu pledges more women candidates for 2026 election

In calling on more women to contest the next General Election the People First leader Inia Seruiratu says, the party is committed to increasing female representation.

His comments come after Speaker of Parliament Filimone Jitoko urged political parties to strengthen their structures and processes to encourage more women to enter politics.

Mr Seruiratu said the newly launched party was creating an environment that welcomed women and was still recruiting candidates.

Since the launch, six women are among the 15 provisional candidates named.

“We are yet to finalise our numbers, so I can’t give you a definite answer now because we need more women to contest the elections and we are still in the process of recruiting,” he said.

“I, for one, strongly feel that women can participate as well as men.”

Mr Seruiratu said Fiji should honour its international commitments to eliminate discrimination against women by ensuring better gender representation in politics.

“Fiji is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and it’s important that we honour the commitments we have made,” he said.

The party Board of Governors comprises of members of Parliament Rinesh Sharma, Jone Usamate, Parveen Bala, Semi Koroilavesau, Vijay Nath, Virendra Lal, Hem Chand, Alvick Maharaj and Joseph Nand.

A notable inclusion included former Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Ashneel Sudhakar who was dismissed from Cabinet in 2020 following allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment.