Fiji’s upcoming General Election will again feature numbers on the ballot paper, with the Electoral Commission preparing to conduct a ball draw to determine the first three digits to be used.
Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa revealed the upcoming ball draw during a media briefing on the Fijian Elections Office’s preparations for the election.
The FEO said one of its upcoming activities would be the “Electoral Commission’s ball draw for the first three digits on the ballot paper”.
The briefing also revealed that 1,508 provisional polling venues have been identified nationwide.
Of these, 880 are designated for Election Day and 628 for pre-poll voting, accommodating a total of 2,149 polling stations across the Central, Western, Northern and Eastern divisions.
Election official recruitment has also exceeded requirements.
The FEO has received 14,606 applications against a requirement for 8,907 election officials. So far, 13,449 officials have been recruited, with the current recruitment phase focusing on Suva, Nausori, Labasa and Lautoka.
Preparations for election training are also progressing, with 80 field trainers supporting the programme.
Training of Trainers sessions are scheduled for September, followed by election official training from September 15 to November 22.
The FEO said election materials, including ballot boxes, polling kits and voting screens, have been delivered and are ready for use.
Fiji currently has 11 registered political parties.
The FEO will also conduct its YES Outreach – Registration and Awareness Drive during October and November, focusing on voter registration and public awareness ahead of the General Election.
Following the briefing, FEO Manager Legal Mesake Dawai updated media representatives on proposed amendments to Fiji’s electoral laws.
