Fijian polling station. Source: Facebook
The Fijian election is underway today, with polling stations open across the country. Since the issuance of the Writ for the election, the Multinational Observer Group (MOG) has observed the electoral process leading up today.
The MOG received access to every step in the electoral process and met with a wide range of stakeholders including visits to remote areas of Fiji. Their assessment of the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) indicates that the FEO has continued to make improvements to the electoral process since 2018 including strong efforts to engage with communities about voting procedure and building the FEO as a proficient entity.
Additionally, the FEO has implemented technology to increase security through barcode scanning and making a text hotline available for voters to confirm their polling station.
The MOG has not observed any irregularities in the electoral processes undertaken by the FEO that would prevent registered voters from casting their vote via postal voting or on Election Day.
The MOG will release an interim statement outlining their initial observations and a full report will be finalised after Election Day including an assessment of the electoral process and any appropriate recommendations.
