Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa has publicly backed Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s decision to delay local government elections, reinforcing the government’s explanation that economic pressures and the risk of overburdening electoral systems made postponement necessary. Nalumisa said he stood by the Prime Minister’s call to push the vote to a date to be set after the upcoming general election.
Mr Rabuka confirmed yesterday that Cabinet had agreed to defer the local government polls, saying the exercise would have cost roughly $18 million at a time when public finances were under strain. He told reporters the rising cost of fuel, global economic shocks and oil supply disruptions had tightened the national budget and threatened the government’s ability to maintain essential services if the local contests went ahead as planned.
“After careful consideration by Cabinet, I have decided to defer the local government election to a date to be determined after the coming general election,” Mr Rabuka said, stressing that the move was a postponement rather than a retreat from the government’s democratic reform agenda. He noted significant preparatory work had already been completed — including legal amendments, voter registration and early budget planning — but that worsening global conditions had forced a change in timing.
The Prime Minister also raised concerns about administering multiple major democratic events in quick succession. He warned that holding a constitutional referendum, local government elections and a general election within a six-month window would place heavy demands on both financial and electoral resources and risk “voter burnout,” a phenomenon he said could depress turnout and harm the quality of democratic participation.
Mr Nalumisa’s public endorsement removes any immediate impression of division within Cabinet over the decision. As Local Government Minister, Nalumisa has been centrally involved in preparations to restore elected local councils — a pledge the Rabuka administration has repeatedly framed as central to returning democratic governance to municipal and provincial bodies after years of appointed councils.
The government has not set a new date for the local government elections, indicating the schedule will be revisited following the general election. For now, officials say the pause will allow the state to prioritise fiscal stability and manage the logistics of any future electoral timetable without compromising other public services.