Electoral Commission in Fiji weighs election campaign pause as referendum looms

Fiji’s Electoral Commission is facing a key decision over whether to pause the general election campaign while the country prepares for its planned national referendum on 9 December.

The Commission says it will decide whether general election campaigning should be suspended for all or part of the referendum campaign period, following a request from Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.

The decision comes as electoral officials prepare to run the referendum and general election processes side by side.

“The Electoral Commission understands that announcements from the Government will naturally lead to questions from voters, particularly about what happens next,” Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Usaia Ratuvili said.

“The Commission will consider and determine whether General Election campaigning and related activities are to be suspended for all or part of the referendum campaign period.”

The general election campaign has been open since May, while the referendum still depends on Parliament completing the constitutional amendment process.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the Supervisor of Elections under the direction of the Electoral Commission would administer and conduct the National Referendum, in accordance with the law. Photo/Fiji Government

Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry has accused Rabuka of acting unlawfully by setting the referendum date and seeking to suspend election campaigning before Parliament completes the required process.

“The Constitution Amendment Bill has not gone through its 3rd Reading yet. That reading is mandatory,” Chaudhry said. “A referendum date cannot be set until the Bill passes its Third Reading.”

The Centre for Democracy and Dialogue (CDD) has also urged the Electoral Commission not to suspend general election campaigning.

Parliament will vote on the Constitution Amendment Bill on 2 November. If it gets 66 per cent support, the referendum will be held on 9 December with the results due by 14 December. Photo/Parliament of Fiji

CDD chief executive Nilesh Lal says the Prime Minister cannot direct the independent Electoral Commission to suspend campaigning and has questioned whether 9 December can legally be treated as the referendum polling day before the constitutional process is complete.

“This raises an obvious and important legal question - how can 9 December be treated as the legally fixed referendum polling day when the Constitution Amendment Bill has not yet passed, no referendum writ could yet have been issued pursuant to that process, and the statutory mechanism for fixing the polling day has therefore not been completed,” Lal said.

Despite the political and legal debate, the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) says preparations for both voting processes are moving ahead.

“For the FEO, there is a lot of work ahead of us, but that work has already started. Our teams are ready, and our preparations are moving forward,” Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa said.

“Our priority is to make sure Fijians know what they need to do, where they can get assistance and where they can get information they can trust.”

For Fijians living overseas, Mataiciwa says postal voting applications for the referendum are now open.

Watch Fiji's Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry share his views about the Constitution Ammendment Bill below.

She is urging eligible Fijian voters abroad to apply early online and check the requirements and deadlines before submitting an application.

Registered voters do not need to register again for the national referendum as their existing registration covers both elections.

The FEO is also urging voters overseas to check their details and use official channels for information as more arrangements for overseas voters are confirmed.

Parliament will vote on the Constitution Amendment Bill on 2 November. If it gets 66 per cent support, the referendum will be held on 9 December with the results due by 14 December.

The general election must be held by 6 February 2027 with the writ issued by 24 December 2026.