The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission
21 February 2017
On 3 February 2017, I and six others were appointed by His Excellency the President as Electoral Commissioners in accordance with Section 75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Fiji.
In accordance with Section 75 of the Constitution, the Electoral Commission is responsible for the following in addition to any other powers under any other law:
- the registration of citizens as voters, and the regular revision of the Register of Voters;
- voter education;
- the registration of candidates for election;
- the settlement of electoral disputes, including disputes relating to or arising from nominations, but excluding election petitions and disputes subsequent to the declaration of election results; and
- monitoring and enforcing compliance with any written law governing elections and political parties.
As Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, I will work alongside my fellow Commissioners, the Supervisor of Elections and the Fijian Elections Office to ensure that all election activities are conducted in line with the Fijian Constitution and all other laws governing elections and that all Fijians receive election services of the highest possible quality.
I commend the FEO on the work achieved so far in preparation for the upcoming General Election and look forward to doing my part to contribute to these preparatory efforts.
I have already led our first meeting today at which it was decided to award the seat vacated in Parliament due to the resignation of Roko Tupou Draunidalo to Mr. Pramod Chand of the National Federation Party.
I speak on behalf of the entire Electoral Commission when I express our steadfast commitment to adhere to the highest standards of transparency, fairness and accountability in our work alongside our partners leading up to the 2018 General Election.
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