Fiji Election office Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins
As Fijians await the announcement of the official date for this year's general election, a controversy has arisen around a string of electoral amendments, introduced by the ruling Fiji First government.
These amendments give greater power to the supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem, and impose strict election requirements.
Victoria University Political Science professor Jon Fraenkel said there are concerns that the amendments are intended to silence opposition parties by increasing Saneem's powers, particularly as Saneem has a strained relationship with the opposition.
"There's been amendments of all three of those pieces of legislation. A lot of different amendments including amendments that dramatically increase the powers of the supervisor of elections", said Fraenkel.
Mohammed Saneem Photo: RNZ Pacific/Koroi Hawkins
"Amendments that change the way voters are registered, and amendments that require parties to accost their campaign pledges, which I think the consequences will be that parties won't make many campaign pledges."
One particular electoral amendment, which has raised concerns, bars voting rights to people who do not register under their birth name.
"There's an amendment to the electoral registration of voters 2020, and that requires that the names under which people are registered are the same as the name on their birth certificate which is a big problem for married women who have gone under the name of their husband", said Fraenkel.
"Married women are required to re-register their name on to their birth certificate, married women are required to change their birth certificate so that it features their married name. But some of them are reluctant to do that and that would disfranchise a lot of people."
Fraenkel said that this electoral change was prompted by the jailing of former MP Niko Nawaikula in May, for corruption charges in relation to falsely obtaining parliamentary allowances. An important element of the case was that Nawaikula had registered to vote under a different name from his birth name.
Niko Nawaikula Photo: Supplied
"The explanation goes back to the Niko Nawaikula court case where it was found that one opposition MP, Niko Nawaikula, that wasn't the name on his birth certificate. The Government lost that court case and got very angry about it. As a result, that went about impose this electoral amendment which just disrupts things, and is spiteful and petty, it's not an effective strategy for winning an election."
Fraenkel suggests that Saneem may now possess greater power to influence election results.
"He can require annotation from candidates and parties, and if they don't supply it, there are severe penalties that can be imposed on them. And there's another amendment where campaigns have to accost campaign pledges. All of these things amount to the empowerment of the election supervisor."
"It's rare to have an election supervisor who commands so little respect from opposition parties. Almost all of the opposition parties have called for him to step down. In fact, he even said he was going to step down himself but now has decided to continue with some arrangements he has made with the Fiji First Government."
"So the question is why would are they doing this? Why would the ruling Fiji First Government want to do something like that? It's irrational from the perspective of wanting to win an election or court public support."
