Statement by the Supervisor of Elections
Mr Mohammed Saneem
Extension of the Nationwide Voter Registration Drive and Know Your Election Campaign
Venue: FEO Media Centre
Date: 25/03/22
Time: 10am
Bula Vinaka,
Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen and thank you very much for tuning in.
Ladies and Gentlemen, today we are on Day 28 of the Nationwide Voter Registration Drive and as at yesterday from the preliminary figures that we have received, the Fijian Elections Office [FEO] has provided voter services to 110,225 Fijians.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the FEO has also surpassed its 100,000 target and we are now well in our way to reach more Fijians as we come into the urban centres.
Ladies and Gentlemen, together with this, I would like to report that we have visited 116 settlements, 849 villages and we have processed 722 Polling Venue assessments.
Ladies and Gentlemen, as you know that is was a five (5) week drive and this meant that when the drive comes towards it’s last week, the FEO teams will be in towns and cities.
I would like to report that at this moment in time we are unable to come to towns and cities because our teams still have to cover various rescheduled areas in the rural areas.
In light of that, we have taken the decision that the Nationwide Voter Registration Drive [NVRD] and the Know Your Election Campaign [KYE] will be extended until 14 of April 2022 by roughly two (2) weeks from 02 April 2022 that was initially scheduled.
From 2 April 2022, ladies and gentlemen, the FEO will concentrate for the next two weeks specifically on the urban areas. And this is the time when the FEO teams will not be based in complexes and shopping centers but directly in your streets.
So if you are from Narere, we will be there in Narere, if you are from Sakoca, we will be coming to Sakoca, if you are from Lagalaga, we will be coming there too. These are some specific areas where we will be coming to your localities.
Ladies and Gentlemen, all you have to do is follow our Facebook page, listen to radio announcements and see the advertisements of the schedules in the newspapers and prepare to visit one of our teams at any of our locations.
I know immediately people will say: “But you will be here and there, yes, of course, we will have a team in hotspot areas like Nakasi Mall or Damodar City Complex but we will still have teams present directly in your streets as far as practically possible so that we can give services directly to you in your own localities.”
Also, during this time, we might have teams scheduled in your streets in the later part of the afternoon so that we can facilitate your registration especially after your worktime.
In the weekends, we intend to go heavy in terms of registration and that is where we would like to say to mark yourselves that on the weekend after the 2nd of April, you will spare your time to go and get your VoterCard upgraded because you are living in an urban centre and the teams are in the urban centre.
As I have said, this could be your last opportunity to register before the Election is announced and every opportunity that you see with the registration official near you could be your last opportunity to register in case you forget to register or you are unable to go to the registration centre near the election.
So having said that ladies and gentlemen, I would like to confirm that the FEO has extended the NVRD and KYE right until 14 April 2022.
Overseas Registrations
Ladies and Gentlemen, Overseas Registrations will be facilitated by the Fiji Missions abroad. We have started sending kits and we will be providing training to the staff at the Fiji Missions abroad to conduct voter registration services overseas.
Postal Voters
Another announcement is in terms of Postal Voters. This is for the people who are particularly in overseas and enquiring about voting in the next General Election.
If you are in overseas and already a registered voter, you can apply to vote via Postal Ballot. You will be able to provide your details on the Postal Voting Application Form directly from any type of VoterCard that you have. Be it Green VoterCard or Blue VoterCard, as long as you have your Voter Number and your name is exactly the way it is spelled on the VoterCard, you will be entitled to vote via a postal ballot.
The FEO will of course verify your signature from the time you had applied to register. So this means, if you are living in Suva and you have migrated, then you can still vote if you have maintained your Fiji citizenship. You can still vote by simply using your details that is already on your VoterCard with you on the Postal Voting Application Form.
Anyone who applies for Postal Voting will not be able to vote on Election Day because your name will be marked on the Voter List.
Thank you and Vinaka Vakalevu.
