It’s Election Day with 606,092 Fijians registered to cast their vote as Fiji begins its search for the next government at 7.30am.

693,915 voters were registered for the 2022 General Election, with 9916 having applied for postal ballot.

The preliminary pre-poll voter turnout stands at 69.63 percent with a total of 54, 244 Fijians having cast their votes.

77, 907 Fijians were registered to vote for pre-polling, meaning 23, 663 people did not vote at the 613 venues.

855 venues will be used today and overall, 348,349 males and 345,566 females registered for the polling.

The central division has 316 venues, 303 in the west, north is at 202 and 33 in the Eastern Division.

The overseas registered voters who are in the country can vote at the St Stephens Building in Suva.

Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem is reminding voters that it’s their democratic right to cast a vote.

“Polling operations will start at 7.30am ladies and gentlemen and I encourage every voter to come out and make your vote count. All you must do is circle or tick or cross the number of your candidate on the ballot paper and you only must mark one number. Let me remind you it’s not just a mark on the paper. Your vote will determine who will make the decisions on your behalf for the next four years. As you leave the polling station, it the FEO’s desire, you do so with a sense of satisfaction and achievement and national pride in having contributed to the country’s electoral process and indeed having exercised your right to vote, your democratic right to vote.”

Saneem is also reminding voters to turn up at their correct polling stations.

“It is important for voters to know their polling venue. If you do not know your polling venue, simply message your voter card number to 1500 platform and the 1500 platform will message you back telling you what your polling venue is and at the same time also tell you what is the polling venue transport coordinators number.”

Saneem is reminding all that the blackout period also is still in force and ends only when polling stops, which is scheduled for 6pm today.

“Ladies and gentlemen campaign is prohibited and that means you can not circulate material that has got candidate numbers during this period.”

The Fijian Elections Office anticipates the final results to be announced by Sunday.