Parliament has passed amendments to the Voter Registration Act making it compulsory to use birth certificates when registering to vote.

Fijians must also use the name as stated in their birth certificate and no other aliases.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama while supporting the amendment Bill highlighted that the changes eradicate any attempt to corrupt the voter list.

“We will continuously support the effective conduct of elections through reviewing and reforming its legislative frameworks and allocating more resources and attention to enable its effectiveness an integrity. This amendment will help maintain a clean and accurate voter list and protect the rights of all registered voters.”

Although there were objections to the Bill from the Opposition, the government voted to pass the amendments by acclamation.