THE d’Hondt voting system is not suited to Fiji because of the country’s small population, Paula Turaga told constitutional consultations in Nakasi last week.
He said the proportional voting system, which has been recommended by the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) and is returning to Parliament, was worth reconsidering.
“I agree with that because the d’Hondt system is not in favour of our system,” Mr Turaga said.
“The d’Hondt system is in favour of the millions of people in other nations.
“We don’t even reach one million, so the d’Hondt system is not in favour of us.”
Mr Turaga raised concerns about the constitutional process, saying the country faced two major challenges in passing the Constitution Amendment Bill 2026 through its third reading and subsequently holding a referendum.
He also called for allegiance to the Constitution to remain paramount, citing the role of the military and the importance of constitutional loyalty in preventing an unconstitutional takeover of government.
“Even a four-star general could not simply approach the President and declare that the military was taking over government because the allegiance to the Constitution was paramount.”
