Parliament member Mosese Bulitavu announced that he will be serving as an independent Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), supporting Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. Bulitavu mentioned that ten other Opposition MPs would be making the same move, without revealing their identities.
Bulitavu expressed confusion over the rules regarding political party affiliations, especially when joining a party not previously contested under. He sought further clarity, pondering the implications of shifting allegiances to the People’s Alliance or Labour, and how this would impact those with more votes within these parties.
His comments come in light of the deregistration of FijiFirst – the party he represented in the 2022 General Election. This action was carried out by the Supervisor of Elections due to FijiFirst’s failure to revise its constitution.
Bulitavu pointed out that the Political Parties Act addresses deregistration, stipulating that an MP can either join another political party or become an independent MP. However, he noted a lack of clear provisions related to this in the 2013 Constitution.
Addressing the potential move to a different party, Bulitavu stated that they would have to notify the Speaker of Parliament of their decision.