The Fijian Elections Office has acknowledged that required internal procedures were not followed when a mock press release containing a fictitious 2026 General Election date was uploaded to its website.
In a statement, the FEO said the release was created as part of a Writ to Return of Writ Dress Rehearsal being conducted in preparation for the upcoming General Election.
“The FEO acknowledges that the required internal procedure for uploading test content was not followed,” the statement said.
“The matter has since been addressed internally, and measures are being taken to ensure that test materials used during the remainder of the Dress Rehearsal are appropriately contained.”
The clarification follows the circulation of the mock release by media organisations and subsequently on social media.
The FEO said its current dress rehearsal requires staff to test, review, finalise and lock in processes that will be followed from the issuance of the Writ of Election through to the Return of the Writ.
As part of that exercise, staff tested procedures for preparing and publishing press releases.
A mock release relating to the issuance of the Writ was created on the FEO website using fictitious information for the simulation.
The release included a purported election date, which the FEO has now stressed was not genuine.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the information contained in the mock press release, including the date stated for the General Election, was entirely fictitious and created solely for the purposes of the Dress Rehearsal,” the FEO said.
“No Writ for the 2026 General Election has been issued.”
The FEO said one of the key purposes of conducting a dress rehearsal was to expose weaknesses in its systems and processes before the actual election period.
“The main purpose of conducting a Dress Rehearsal is to identify gaps and subsequently the necessary safeguards required to ensure they do not happen during the actual Election Period,” it said.
The Elections Office has apologised for the confusion caused by the publication and subsequent circulation of the mock release.
“The FEO apologises for any confusion caused and assures all electoral stakeholders and more importantly members of the public that the matter has been addressed.”
The FEO said safeguards were now being put in place to ensure test material produced during the remainder of the dress rehearsal is appropriately contained and does not enter the public domain.
