The Supervisor of Elections (SoE), Ms Ana Mataiciwa, today held a briefing with representatives of faith-based and civil society organisations as part of the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) ongoing stakeholder engagement initiative in preparation for the upcoming General Election.
Representatives from FemLINKPacific, Kingdom Ambassadors International Fellowship (KAIF), Shree Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji (SSDPSF), the Anglican Church, the Market Vendors Association Suva, the Wailoku Community, the University of the South Pacific iTaukei Students Association (USPITSA), the Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding (PCP), and Bau Central College (BCC) attended the briefing.
During the session, Ms Mataiciwa provided participants with an update on election preparation, highlighting the major progress made across logistics, recruitment, training, and Voter Awareness initiatives.
The FEO currently plans to establish 1,508 polling venues nationwide. This will comprise 880 Election Day venues and 628 Pre-Poll venues to accommodate a total of 2,149 polling stations.
Recruitment of Election Officials (EO) is also progressing, with the FEO receiving 14,606 applications for 8,907 positions. To date, 13,449 Election Officials have been recruited, with the current phase of recruitment focused on Suva, Nausori, Labasa, and Lautoka.
To ensure Election Officials are fully equipped to carry out their duties, training is scheduled to be conducted from 15 September to 22 November 2026 with the support of 80 Field Trainers deployed across Fiji.
In terms of election logistics, the FEO has in stock 3,150 ballot boxes, 2,500 polling kits and voting screens.
With 11 registered political parties, preparations are also underway for the ball draw for the first three (3) digits in the ballot paper, which will be conducted by the Electoral Commission.
The FEO will continue to strengthen voter engagement through the YES Outreach Registration and Awareness Drive, scheduled to take place in October and November. The initiative aims to enhance Voter Registration and increase public awareness of electoral processes.
The SoE reiterated the FEO’s commitment to delivering a well-organised, accessible, and credible electoral process for all eligible Fijians. Ms Mataiciwa emphasised that the Office continues to work diligently across all areas of election preparation to ensure readiness for the upcoming General Election while maintaining strong engagement with stakeholders and community organisations throughout the electoral cycle.
