Appointment of Electoral Commissioners

The Citizens‘ Constitutional Forum welcomes the appointment of the new Electoral Commissioners.

We wish to acknowledge the great work done by the Electoral Commissioners, who were tasked with overseeing the 2014 Election despite the challenging enviroment they had to work in. An environment 8 years on with no elections and against an unclear demarcation role between theirs and the Supervisor Of Elections Mohammed Saneem. Their background and experience in Fiji’s constitutional issues and electoral reforms was something that helped them carry out their roles effectively in the pre, during and post 2014 General Elections.

The Electoral Commission is an important body that is charged overseeing the implementation of election procedures in Fiji as in Part C, Section 75 (1)-(8) of the Fiji Constitution.  Thus, CCF hope that the new Commissioners will upskill themselves with the whole process of elections, electoral issues and everything that entails elections and electoral management bodies.

CCF is anticipating that the new Electoral Commissioners will provide the space to engage with civil society organizations and interested individuals in Fiji as we have been playing a key role in Fiji’s democratic transition, including elections.

We also urge the new Commissioners to seriously consider the recommendations by the MORG Report, the FEO and FEC Annual Report 2014, the FEO Recommedations, and the Concerned Citizens Report 2014 to ensure the independence of the Commission; the clear demarcation of the roles of the SOE and the ECs, for a free, fair, and credible 2018 General Election.