Constitution Review Commission has recommended replacing the country’s current single-chamber Parliament with a 60-member bicameral legislature, comprising a 41-member House of Representatives and a 19-member Senate.
The recommendation, contained in the Commission’s 2026 report, represents a major departure from the parliamentary and electoral framework established under the 2013 Constitution.
The Commission said the existing framework was designed around a unicameral Parliament and Fiji’s single national constituency using proportional representation. Fiji currently elects MPs through a single nationwide constituency, with Parliament comprising 55 seats following the 2022 General Election.
Under the Commission’s proposal, elections to the House of Representatives would instead use a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system combining constituency-based first-past-the-post seats with proportional party-list seats.
“The Commission recommends major amendments and introducing a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system: a hybrid model featuring constituency-based (first-past-the-post) and proportional party-list seats, enabling both local accountability and national proportionality,” the report states.
It recommends an approximate 60:40 ratio between constituency and party-list seats, saying this would help maintain diversity of representation and proportionality.
The Commission also recommends retaining a five per cent party-vote threshold for allocating list seats.
It expressed support for mechanisms proposed by the Electoral Law Reform Commission aimed at increasing representation across age, gender, ethnicity, geography and culture, including maritime constituencies and reserved seats for women.
The proposed Senate would comprise 19 members, with the Commission arguing that senators should be selected on the basis of “service, expertise and merit” and be capable of scrutinising legislation in a non-partisan manner.
“The Senate should consist of members with the ability to discuss and review bills in a non-partisan manner,” the report states.
It recommends safeguards aimed at minimising political appointments, with senators drawn from different sections of society, including women and young people.
The Commission has also recommended establishing an independent Constituency Boundaries Commission and abolishing the single national constituency.
Electoral boundaries would be reviewed following every census, with the Commission proposing constituency populations of approximately 30,000 voters per seat.
The recommendations are proposals contained in the Constitution Review Commission report and do not represent Fiji’s current constitutional or electoral arrangements.
