The newly proposed People First Party has rejected claims that it is a front for former FijiFirst leaders. It also denies any links to the former Attorney-General.

One of the party founders Inia Seruiratu states that the allegations are not true.

He confirmed that the new party has nothing to do with the former leaders. He explained that they broke clean from that arrangement after FijiFirst was deregistered and those individuals are not part of People First.

He adds that whether they form another party is a matter for them.

“Not true. Our proposed political party has nothing to do at all with the former leaders. We have broken clean from that arrangement when we were deregistered and they are not part of our part.”

The Opposition Leader has also dismissed suggestions that he is leading People First. People First was formed by Seruiratu, Jone Usamate and Semi Koroilavesau.

All three were senior members of FijiFirst and served as Ministers under the previous administration.

FijiFirst has since been deregistered. Its former leader was ex-Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama. The former Attorney-General was Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

Attention is now turning to the next general election timeline. The earliest possible date for the Writ is June 24, 2026. If issued then, the first possible election day would be August 7, 2026. The latest possible date for the Writ is December 24, 2026. That would place the last possible election day on February 6, next year.

Meanwhile, Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa yesterday opened an Introduction to Elections Media Training for Fijian Broadcasting Corporation staff.

She states that the training covers the full electoral cycle, from preparation and voter registration to campaigning, polling, counting and post-election processes.

“In this training you will explore how elections are conducted in Fiji, the role of the electoral commission and the Fijian elections office and what typically happens before, during and after polling and you will also look closely at voting, the counting process, voters that are facing barriers and how information flows at different stages of the cycle.”

Mataiciwa said understanding each stage was essential for accurate reporting.

She notes that election coverage unfolds live across radio, television and digital platforms.

Mataiciwa also emphasized that strong knowledge of the process helps prevent speculation and counter misinformation as election activity increases.

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