Ritika Pratap 
Acting Supervisor of Elections, Ana Mataiciwa
A working group, led by the permanent secretary for local government, is currently examining the Local Government Act to pave the way for municipal council elections.
Acting Supervisor of Elections, Ana Mataiciwa says once this review is finished, municipal elections are expected to take place next year.
Meanwhile, the Fijian Elections Office has begun its preparations.
They are providing training to their staff to ensure they understand the procedures for conducting municipal elections.
“So we will just wait for the legal reform and from there than we will be able to do registration and awareness surrounding the municipal election.”
As part of these efforts, the FEO are also considering whether the existing Voter Registration System can accommodate those eligible to vote in the municipal elections.
Mataiciwa adds that discussions with donors are ongoing to secure funds for awareness campaigns, given that the last municipal election was held in 2005.
Since this will be a novel event for many voters, the campaigns aim to inform and educate them.
Regarding the voting process, Mataiciwa notes that the legal reforms will determine whether voters can use either green or blue voter cards to cast their ballots.
Despite the expiration of the green voter card, the law requires the acceptance of various forms of photo ID cards for voting purposes.
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