Apenisa Waqairadovu 
After a 21-year break, Fiji is preparing to elect 141 municipal councillors in September.
The Local Government Elections will be held on a Saturday in September, marking the return of municipal polls after more than two decades.
During the first media editors’ briefing today, Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa outlined key timelines for the election preparations, with several of the details presented through a PowerPoint presentation.
Mataiciwa says a public awareness campaign will be launched next Friday.
Voter registration will begin on April 13 and continue until the writ of election is issued, which could be as early as June, giving residents about three months to ensure they are registered.
According to the presentation, recruitment of election officials will also run from April 13 to May 16, with training scheduled between July 27 and August 16.
The elections will cover 13 municipal councils across 40 wards, with 72 polling venues planned nationwide.
A total of 141 councillors will be elected using the first past the post system, where the candidate with the highest number of votes wins the seat.
To vote, individuals must be registered on the National Voters Register and must have lived in the municipal ward for at least three months.
Candidates can contest under a registered political party or as independents, with independent candidates requiring eight nominators to stand in the election.
Voting will take place on a single Saturday across the country.
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