Fiji
Oceania · fj
Parliamentary republic using open-list proportional representation in one nationwide constituency, with a five-percent threshold and D'Hondt seat allocation.
Profile last reviewed July 23, 2026
Fijians cast one candidate-number vote in a single nationwide contest; that vote also counts toward the candidate's party. The next election will fill 55 elected seats. The Electoral Commission directs the election, while the Fijian Elections Office manages registration and operations. Eligible voters who cannot attend their assigned station may use statutory postal or pre-poll channels.
How voting works today
- Voting age
- 18 and over
- Voter registration
- Voter-initiated
- Identification
- Photo ID required
- Compulsory voting
- No
- Postal voting
- Restricted
- Early voting
- Restricted
- Online voting
- Not available
- Voting from abroad
- Restricted
Registration is continuous until the writ closes the register. A voter card or another valid photo ID may be used. Overseas voters and other eligible groups unable to attend their assigned station may apply for a postal vote; pre-poll teams serve locations and voters specified in law.
How the franchise changed
Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.
- 1970Expansion
Independence continued parliamentary elections, though representation remained organized through communal and national rolls.
Elections - 2013Reform
The constitution replaced communal voting with equal votes on a single national roll, lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 and established nationwide open-list proportional representation.
Constitution of the Republic of Fiji - 2022Reform
Party symbols were made available in the voter-instruction material alongside candidate numbers, responding to an earlier observer recommendation about ballot comprehensibility.
2022 General Election joint report
Safeguards on the count
- Ballot type
- Paper ballots
- Post-election audit
- Ad hoc
- Election administration
- Independent commission
- Domestic observers
- Yes
- International observers
- Yes
Ballot papers are counted at polling stations and results are consolidated centrally. Party agents and accredited multinational observers may attend. The 2022 report records an election-night results-app anomaly that was corrected and publicly explained before final seat allocation.
Worth knowing
- The Electoral Commission determined that the next general election will fill 55 elected parliamentary seats.EC confirms composition of Parliament for the next general election
- In 2022, 54,207 voters used pre-poll voting and 9,180 postal votes were admitted to the count.2022 General Election Supervisor of Elections report
- After no party won a majority in 2022, Parliament elected Sitiveni Rabuka prime minister by 28 votes to 27, completing a peaceful transfer of power.Daily Hansard, 24 December 2022
Elections in the database
- 2027Fiji 2026–27 General ElectionElection Watch
- 2022Fiji 2022 General Election
People
- Head of governmentFrank BainimaramaFormer Prime Minister of Fiji
- Head of governmentSitiveni RabukaPrime Minister of Fiji
Sources
- Constitution of the Republic of Fiji— Parliament of the Republic of Fiji
- 2022 General Election joint report— Fijian Electoral Commission and Supervisor of Elections
- Voter registration continues as Fiji prepares for the general election— Electoral Commission of Fiji
- Multinational Observer Group 2022 final report— Multinational Observer Group