General elections were held in Fiji on 14 December 2022 to elect the 55 members of Parliament. The elections took place following the passage of controversial electoral amendments.
In addition to a struggling economy, significant campaign issues included the national debt, ethnic tensions and tackling poverty. During the preliminary count, the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) app displaying the results experienced a glitch, prompting FEO to take down the app temporarily. Once the app was back in operation, the vote tally showed the ruling FijiFirst party leading, resulting in five opposition parties demanding a recount and for the counting process to cease. Observers said they had not seen any significant voting irregularities, adding that an initial anomaly with an app showing the results had been rectified.
Of the nine parties that contested the election, four passed the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament, but no party won a majority. FijiFirst won a plurality, securing 26 seats. The newly formed People's Alliance (PA) secured 21 seats, while its coalition partner, the National Federation Party (NFP), won five. The Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA), which placed second in the 2018 election, retained three seats.
Negotiations to form a government began following the election, with FijiFirst and the PA-NFP coalition seeking to win over the kingmaker SODELPA. After several days, on 20 December, SODELPA's management board voted to form a coalition government with the People's Alliance and the NFP, ending the FijiFirst government's eight-year rule and Bainimarama's 16-year tenure as prime minister. The ruling FijiFirst party refused to concede the election, instead waiting for MPs to elect the new prime minister during the first session of parliament. This session, scheduled for 21 December, was delayed, as no public announcement came from the President. SODELPA's management board met for a second time on 23 December and again voted to form a government with the PA-NFP coalition.
President Katonivere called for the first parliamentary session since the election in the morning of 24 December. Naiqama Lalabalavu was elected and confirmed as Speaker by parliament garnering 28 votes of the 55 cast. Sitiveni Rabuka was elected and confirmed as prime minister by parliament on the same day garnering 28 votes of the 55 cast, officially ending Frank Bainimarama's 16-year tenure as prime minister and cementing the PA-NFP-SODELPA government. Bainimarama then conceded defeat peacefully.
Background Frank Bainimarama became prime minister in 2007 after leading the 2006 coup d'état. Bainimarama founded the FijiFirst party in 2014 and was acting prime minister until his party's victory in the general election that year. The 2018 general election resulted in FijiFirst losing five seats but retaining its parliamentary majority and remaining in office as a majority government. SODELPA, which gained six seats, continued as the opposition, while the NFP retained its three seats.
SODELPA's governing board elected Viliame Gavoka to lead the party in November 2020, replacing former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka. Rabuka conceded to Gavoka and pledged to remain affiliated with the party. In December of that year, he resigned as opposition leader and from parliament. Rabuka later left SODELPA and founded the People's Alliance party in August 2021, which was registered the following month.
In addition to the People's Alliance, the election supervisor approved the registration of three new parties in 2022; the All Peoples Party, led by Tuloma Tutani Tawaivuna, the New Generation Party, led by Fredrick Kataiwai, and the We Unite Fiji Party, led by Jolame Vosailagi.
On 30 October 2022, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announced, when he visited President Wiliame Katonivere, that elections would be held on 14 December 2022. He also advised the President to dissolve parliament. The President subsequently issued the writ of election to the Electoral Commission in accordance with section 59(1) of the constitution.
Electoral system Members of the Parliament of Fiji are elected from a single nationwide constituency by open list proportional representation with an electoral threshold of 5%. Seats are allocated using the d'Hondt method.Electoral system IPUElectoral system for national legislature – Fiji IDEA
Political parties registered in accordance with the Political Parties Act 2013 can nominate party candidates to contest the general election. The total number of party candidates must not be more than the total number of seats in Parliament. Independent candidates can also contest the general election.
Voters All citizens aged 18 and older are eligible to vote. Voting is not mandatory, and upon registering, voters receive a 'VoterCard'. Voters may choose their preferred polling location when enrolling but are only permitted to cast their ballot at their chosen venue. Residents of remote regions, including the highlands and the outer islands, cast their ballots during the week before the election. Polling staff provide help for illiterate voters, while disabled electors have the option to receive assistance from an enrolled voter. The registration process for citizens remains open until the day when the president issues the election writ. Voters unable to travel to their polling station on election day may cast a postal vote in advance. Fijians residing abroad, along with residents who will not be present in Fiji on election day, are permitted to vote in this manner. Postal voting is also open to individuals who have a severe illness, have employment obligations, those citing religious beliefs and detained individuals.
Electoral changes Fiji's Parliament gained an additional four seats in the 2022 general election. Fijian Electoral Commission chairman Suresh Chandra said the increase of seats from 51 to 55 was in accordance with section 54 of the Constitution.
Parliament passed an electoral amendment in 2021 that only allowed voters to register on the electoral roll using their birth names. Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum claimed the bill was vital to assist the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) when identifying deceased voters to remove from the electoral roll and confirming voters' citizenship. However, professor Jon Fraenkel of Victoria University, warned the amendment would risk disenfranchising voters, particularly married women who have adopted their spouse's surname.
On 2 September 2022, parliament passed a controversial amendment that would increase the power of the elections supervisor, permitting them to obtain documents on any citizens for any reason. The bill sparked criticism from the Fiji Law Society (FLS) and opposition parties, including SODELPA and the NFP. The FLS president warned the amendment would only permit citizens to appeal decisions carried out by the elections supervisor with the electoral commission and would undermine citizens' privacy and legal professional privilege. NFP leader Biman Prasad said the powers the bill grants made the elections supervisor "almost like a god" and had demanded the bill's withdrawal. Attorney-General Sayed-Khaiyum, who introduced the bill to parliament, blasted the opposition for allegedly not raising concerns when similar measures were included in different acts in the past. Election supervisor Mohammed Saneem's reportedly hostile relations with the opposition have been a source of widespread concern that the government's motive behind the expansion of Saneem's powers was to disadvantage the opposition parties.
Schedule The schedule for the election was: DateEvent30 October 2022 (Sunday)Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announces elections to be held on 14 December 2022.President Wiliame Katonivere subsequently dissolves the Parliament.31 October 2022 (Monday)President Wiliame Katonivere issues the writ of election to the Electoral Commission.1 November 2022 (Tuesday)Nominations of candidates opens.14 November 2022 (Monday)Nomination of candidates closes.23 November 2022 (Wednesday)Postal voting application closes.5 December 2022 (Monday)Pre-poll voting begins.9 December 2022 (Friday)Pre-poll voting ends.12 December 2022 (Monday)Media blackout commences at 7.30 a.m for 48 hours prior to election day.14 December 2022 (Wednesday)Election day – polling places open from 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.17 December 2022 (Saturday)Final election results released.
Parties A total of 342 candidates from nine political parties, plus two independent candidates, contested the general election. 56 of the total candidates were women.
PartyLeaderCandidates2018 seatsFijiFirst Frank Bainimarama 55 Social Democratic Liberal Party Viliame Gavoka 54 National Federation Party Biman Prasad 54 Unity Fiji Savenaca Narube 38 Fiji Labour Party Mahendra Chaudhry 42 People's Alliance Sitiveni Rabuka 55Not yet foundedWe Unite Fiji Party Ruveni Nadalo 20New Generation Party Varinava Tiko 5All Peoples Party Tuiloma Tawaivuna 14Independents 2
Campaign On 17 March 2022 the Electoral Commission announced that the campaign period would begin on 26 April 2022 and conclude two days prior to election day. Major issues among voters include ethnic tensions between the indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians and poverty. Other significant issues are the national debt, which in 2022 accounted for 80% of the country's GDP and a struggling economy. The FijiFirst government blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for the economic slump, while the opposition argued the economy was in a dire state beforehand. The prevention of further coup d'états was a key priority among voters, of which the country has suffered four since independence. On 6 December, major-general Jone Kalouniwai announced the military would respect the election results regardless of who the victors were.
FijiFirst The ruling FijiFirst party, in power since 2014, was led into the election by prime minister Frank Bainimarama. Bainimarama rarely presents unscripted speeches in public. Attorney-General Sayed-Khaiyum, who frequently appears in public, is perceived by many voters and political commentators as the party's primary figure. The party highlighted its record in government and focused on job creation, particularly for the youth, and sought to increase spending for the tourism industry and environmental conservation. Bainimarama aimed to become Fiji's longest-serving prime minister. On 16 November, the FijiFirst party held its campaign rally in Nausori with party general secretary Sayed-Khaiyum urging supporters to vote for Bainimarama. Another rally was held on 5 December with President of SODELPA Manoa Roragaca present, wearing a FijiFirst merchandise.
SODELPA SODEPLA released its manifesto in September 2022. Led by Viliame Gavoka, the party's platform included indigenous affairs, health and education. The party also pledged to increase the budget for the agricultural sector from FJ$64 million to FJ$225 million and to raise spending for the iTaukei (indigenous) affairs ministry to FJ$159 million. The party leader also declared his intention to implement debt forgiveness for students. Gavoka ruled out entering a coalition with the People's Alliance and the NFP, partly due to his refusal to cooperate with Prasad or Rabuka. He was confident that SODELPA would win an outright victory. The party declined to ally with the Unity Fiji Party and FijiFirst, although Gavoka remained open to working with the former should they need to form a coalition government. Former opposition whip Felipe Tuisawau slammed SODELPA for including three former soldiers who participated in the 2006 coup d'état on the party list.
People's Alliance