[Photo: Devesh Patel]

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by seven civil society organisations will establish Fiji’s first domestic election observation mission in more than two decades.

The Citizens’ Observer Group will monitor the electoral process ahead of the next general election.

Centre for Democracy and Dialogue Chief Executive Nilesh Lal says domestic observers can assess parts of the election process that may not be captured by international missions.

Lal says civil society organisations have wanted to monitor national elections for years, but had not previously received the necessary authorization.

“Domestic groups can also make assessments about the integrity, fairness and credibility of the electoral process. There are some elements that can be captured better by domestic election observation.”

Lal says credible local observation can strengthen safeguards around elections and help build public confidence in the results.

Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding Executive Director Florence Swamy says her organisation will bring a peacebuilding and inclusion perspective to the mission.

She says election observation can also ensure the experiences of different groups of citizens are considered.

“We all know that elections are not only moments of choice, but they’re also spaces where social tensions, inequalities, exclusion and community differences become more obvious.”

The initiative is supported by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, or International IDEA.

It will help the participating organisations develop the skills and capacity needed for professional and impartial election observation.

The Citizens’ Observer Group includes Caritas Fiji, the Centre for Democracy and Dialogue, femLINKpacific, Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding, the Social Economic Empowerment Programme and Transparency International Fiji.