Apenisa Waqairadovu 
Registrar of Political Parties, Ana Mataiciwa. [Photo: FILE]
The Registrar of Political Parties, Ana Mataiciwa, has rejected the application to register the proposed political party ‘FijiansFirst’, citing concerns over its similarity to the deregistered FijiFirst.
Mataiciwa confirmed that formal objections were lodged by two political parties, the National Federation Party and the People’s Alliance, raising several concerns about the proposed party’s name, symbol, and branding.
In her decision, the Registrar ruled that the name ‘FijiansFirst’ closely resembles ‘FijiFirst’ and is likely to cause confusion among the public.
“Based on the objections, I find that the proposed name so nearly resembles that of the deregistered party ‘FijiFirst’ as to be likely to be confused with or mistaken for that party,” Mataiciwa stated.
She said this falls within the provisions of Section 8(h)(iii) of the Political Parties Act, which requires the Registrar to refuse registration if a proposed party’s name, symbol, or acronym is the same as or closely resembles that of a deregistered political party.
Other objections raised by the two parties included the alleged unauthorised use of the national coat of arms, similarities in party symbols, and the potential use of the acronym “FFP”, which could be associated with FijiFirst.
However, Mataiciwa clarified that these concerns did not meet the legal threshold under the Act and were therefore dismissed.
The proposed party now has 14 days to appeal the decision to the Electoral Commission.
