THE Consolidated Review Report on the 2022 General Elections Joint Report is proposing the introduction of a gender quota for political party candidates, Parliament was told this week.
The recommendation is aimed at encouraging more women to contest future elections.
Tabling the report in Parliament on Thursday, Assistant Minister for Home Affairs Ratu Rakuita Vakalalabure said the proposal was among several key findings of the Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights, I am pleased to present the committee’s Consolidated Review Reports on the 2022 General Elections Joint Report by the Electoral Commission and Supervisor of Elections for the Multi-Observer Group,” he said.
The committee reviewed 20 recommendations from the Multinational Observer Group (MOG) and additional proposals from the Electoral Commission (EC) and Fijian Elections Office (FEO), which were refined and forwarded to the Fiji Law Reform Commission (FLRC) for inclusion in proposed electoral law changes.
The report noted that some MOG recommendations may require constitutional amendments.
It also raised concern over the FEO’s declaration document, warning it could be “weaponised by a political party that wins an election”.
Another issue discussed was the possible removal of the ceiling cap for political donations, which the committee said could threaten the independence of a governing party.
It recommended early public disclosure of election dates and confirmed that the Electoral Commission would discontinue the mobile election results app in favour of the traditional media centre system.
With the repeal of the Media Industry Development Act (MIDA), the committee also called for a new framework to ensure fair media access during elections.
The report, seconded by Opposition MP Faiyaz Koya, was handed to the secretary-general, with a parliamentary debate to follow.
