The Electoral Commission and the Fijian Elections Office have recommended reducing Fiji’s five percent electoral threshold, arguing that the current requirement is too high by international standards and prevents smaller parties from gaining parliamentary representation.
In their joint submission to the Constitution Review Commission, the Commission said lowering the threshold would ensure more votes are reflected in Parliament while strengthening democratic representation.
“The Commission supports a reduction of the 5% threshold, which it considers high by international standards. A lower threshold preserves a greater proportion of votes cast and gives effect to the choices of citizens who support smaller parties, who are presently left without a voice in Parliament.”
The Commission noted that the existing five percent threshold is entrenched in the Constitution and cannot be changed by ordinary legislation.
The submission forms part of a broader recommendation to transition Fiji from its current single nationwide proportional representation system to a mixed-member proportional (MMP) electoral system.
According to the Commission, a lower threshold would make Parliament more representative by ensuring votes cast for smaller political parties are less likely to be excluded from the allocation of seats.
The submission also recommends combining constituency representation with proportional party representation.
“The Commission also sees clear merit in a system that combines direct constituency representation with proportional party representation, so that every voter has an identifiable local member while the composition of Parliament continues to reflect the national party vote.”
The Commission said feedback from public consultations indicated many voters wanted stronger links with individual Members of Parliament and greater local representation.
“A system that returns members from defined constituencies would give voters that access while a proportional party-vote element preserved overall fairness.”
While supporting a lower threshold and an MMP voting system, the Commission said the detailed design of the electoral model, including the exact threshold, number of constituencies and population distribution, should be determined by the Constitution Review Commission and Parliament.
