Although Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem has said that they will be carrying out their Nationwide Voter Registration and Awareness Drive from the 25th of this month to the 2nd of April this year, the People’s Alliance Party and National Federation Party say the Fijian Elections Office has so far not shown it is ready to re-register tens of thousands of voters who need new voter cards because of last year’s voting law changes.
In a joint letter to Saneem on Friday 11th February, the General Secretary of the People's Alliance, Sakiasi Ditoka and General Secretary of NFP, Seni Nabou say they are concerned that the Elections Office’s disorganisation could cause low voter turnout in the coming general elections.
The two parties say they point to the very long queues outside the single FEO centre that is handling the re-registrations, with many voters waiting for hours and wasting valuable time in those lines.
They further say elections could be held as early as July, five months away and political parties have been told nothing about FEO’s election preparations roll-out.
The General Secretaries say they asked the Elections Office to set up an organized timetable of face-to-face meetings with political parties in the lead-up to the elections.
They add they also expressed concern about the long lines and claustrophobic voter registration environment for voters trying to re-register.
They say this only added to the inconvenience and unnecessary expense to voters in rural areas, who want to organise and finalize their voter ID registration well in advance of elections.
Both parties have also expressed deep dissatisfaction at the current rate of elections preparations.
They further say a repeat of the low voter turnout in 2018 is not in anybody’s interest and needs rapid work on all fronts.
They add they have also sought urgent guidance on whether a new voter ID card was even needed for majority of voters who are already registered in the National Register of Voters.
They further say section 51(1) of the Electoral Act says that any other form of ID, if accepted by the Supervisor of Elections or Presiding Officer at polling stations as in previous elections, allowed individuals registered in the National Register of Voters to vote.
The two parties in their letter had said that they have also had briefings with the diplomatic corp and issues about the elections are a point of discussion.
The Fijian Elections Office confirms that 2 political parties have written a letter to them.
They say this letter was sent to them after the close of normal business hours on Friday, 11th February 2022 and as is the normal practice, a comprehensive response will be made to both parties.
They further say a preliminary point that needs to be made known is that one of the signatories, Seni Nabou of NFP attended 4 sessions of election preparation meetings in 2021 and it is noted with concern her allegations in the letter.
The Elections Office further says they also conducted a comprehensive presentation on election preparation plans for all political parties on 30th September 2021 which was broadcast live on Facebook and both signatories attended this briefing.
They further say they note that the parties have chosen to send copies of their letter to the media in the weekend without according the Elections Office the courtesy of time to reply.
The FEO will make further statements after it has responded directly to the parties.
Meanwhile, Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem had earlier highlighted that the Nationwide Voter Registration and Awareness Drive will be an opportunity for every eligible voter to register and access voter services.
Saneem said they are taking the service to the voters and to ensure that no one is left behind.
He added the FEO undertakes this major drive before every election to prepare voters to be able to register and cast a valid vote on election day.
Saneem says adequate voter education and awareness must be done to ensure that every Fijian voter has enough information that enables him or her to turn up to the correct polling venue and cast a valid vote.
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