Fifty-three villages across Fiji will participate in the upcoming Local Government Elections after being included within thirteen municipal service areas.
Local Government Ministry permanent secretary Seema Sharma says the villages fall within service zones of municipal councils.
Ms Sharma explained municipal councils are legally responsible for administering towns and providing services within their jurisdictions.
“A lot of the boundaries have not been amended in a number of years, a very long time,” Ms Sharma said.
She said people living in informal settlements and villages near towns or just on the outskirts of town boundaries were receiving municipal services, often subsidised by the Government.
“They get waste management services and at the moment you have certain villages that fall around a two-kilometre radius outside of the town boundary that have been included into these town boundaries for services to be provided.”
Ms Sharma said because these communities received services from municipal councils, they had been included in the nearest electoral wards and would be able to vote in the elections.
“That means they have the right to vote because these are people who’ve been using these services.
“But they also need to contribute to the decision making.”
She clarified that only those living within designated municipal service areas would be eligible to vote.
“You will have specific boundaries. You don’t have the entire nation voting.
“53 villages have been included across all 13 municipalities.”
Ms Sharma added that residents living outside municipal boundaries would not participate in the local government elections because they are not part of council jurisdictions.
“People who fall outside of the boundaries do not vote in local government elections because they don’t form part of the municipal boundaries.”
