Statement by the Supervisor of Elections
Mr Mohammed Saneem
Phase 1: Returning Election Officials Recruitment Drive
Date: 06/08/21
Time:3pm
Bula Vinaka ladies and gentleman and welcome to this first announcement by the Fijian Elections Office in relation to the operations roll out in preparation for the 2022 General Election.
Every general election is an event that is considered as the largest operational exercise in a country in peacetime. We are preparing for the next general election which may take place between the 9th of July 2022 and the 9th of January 2023.
Ladies and gentlemen as you are aware elections in Fiji are conducted by ordinary citizens under the guidance of the Fijian Elections Office. Every election since 2014 we have recruited individuals directly from the voter base and to this end we are pleased to announce that the recruitment of election officials for the 2022 general election will be commencing on the 1st of September 2021. These are paid positions and not volunteers.
This time the recruitment is starting very early because the FEO needs to be election ready by 1st May 2022. The other reason for initiating the recruitment process now is because there is an extensive training program that has to be implemented so that every staff that is working the polling stations on Election Day or during Pre-poll is fully aware of all the procedures that have to be implemented consistently as well as efficiently. The entire election rests on the shoulders of all these officials and as such these officials must receive sufficient training and will be awarded the job based on merits.
Ladies and gentlemen being an election official is a very important job. They must remain apolitical and impartial throughout the entire exercise. In fact, from the day they apply to be an election official they must make sure they do not appear to be politically biased or make any political statements. They must ensure that once they have applied they do not breach any of the requirements for being impartial. Once a person is appointed to the position they will have to demonstrate political neutrality in their role and they must make sure that they honor the code of conduct at the FEO.
The recruitment drive for the next general election will be done in 3 different phases. The 1st phase of recruitment is for people who have already worked for the Fijian Elections Office in the 2018 General Election. This is an online phase where they will go to the website and provide their details once again so that we have the latest and current information about these individuals.
The 2nd phase which will start next year is for those who have not worked for us previously but are interested in joining the FEO. So if you’re a first time voter and you’re interested in working for the FEO, you can apply in the 2nd phase. The FEO is an open merit based, equal opportunity employer and all appointments will be made based on your performance in the test as well as the training that follow:
The 3rd phase is when the FEO will do targeted recruitments for areas where we did not receive many applications or we did not receive any applications. This will be announced early next year.
In terms of the salaries, I can inform you today that a Presiding Officer will receive $420 for their services on Election Day. If you work for Pre-poll you will be paid $111 a-day for everyday of Pre-poll that you work. We will be making payments to your bank account or MPaisa depending on your choice.
So having said all of this ladies and gentleman once again I say that all those who have worked for the FEO in the 2018 General Election keep an eye out on our Facebook page for more information as we proceed to 1st of September when we will be starting the recruitment drive for the 2022 General Election.
In order to apply, you will need to upload the following documents:
- Voter Card Number
- A copy of your TIN letter/ FRCA/ FNPF Joint Card
- A copy of your FNPF card or a recent statement
- Your bank account details or a copy of a recent statement
- Active MPaisa account details
Have these handy.
As I have said all officials that apply to join the Fijian Elections Office will have to undergo extensive training and we will be making announcements for the training after the first round of recruitments.
Ends.
