The newly established Constitutional Review Commission has been given a firm deadline to deliver its final report: 31 August 2026. The Commission was formally created through a Presidential Warrant and its seven members were sworn in yesterday at a commissioning ceremony presided over by President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu at the State House, marking the official start of the review process.
Sevuloni Valenitabua will chair the commission. He is a senior barrister and solicitor with some 30 years’ experience across the Pacific, specialising in criminal and civil litigation and human rights. The other commissioners are Ami Kohli, a Labasa-based legal veteran with more than four decades in governance, constitutional law and community leadership; Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba, Vice‑Chancellor of Fiji National University and an education specialist noted for work on indigenous knowledge and climate resilience; Dr Neelesh Gounder, a senior economics lecturer and former chief policy adviser to government with expertise in fiscal reviews and regional strategy; Dr John Fatiaki, a medical practitioner and former senator with extensive experience in health and government advisory roles; Merewalesi Nailatikau, a policy and communications specialist experienced in public diplomacy and donor engagement; and Conway Beg, an architect and former Fiji Rugby Union chair recognised for master planning and governance leadership in the Pacific.
Cabinet has allocated $1 million to support the Commission’s work. The funding will back a secretariat and allow the Commission to bring in constitutional law experts and other technical advisers needed to analyse submissions, hold consultations and prepare recommendations. The government says the support is intended to ensure the Commission can conduct thorough nationwide engagement and deliver a professionally drafted report for consideration.
A central mandate for the Commission is to examine and respond to observations made by the Supreme Court of Fiji about democratic shortcomings in the 2013 Constitution. The Commission has been tasked with receiving and analysing public submissions and conducting consultations to inform its findings. Its report and recommendations will first be submitted to the President and Cabinet and then tabled in Parliament, where any proposed constitutional changes would be taken forward through the appropriate legislative and consultative steps.
Officials framed the Commission’s work as a key step toward strengthening Fiji’s democratic governance and ensuring the constitution better reflects the needs and aspirations of the population. The combination of legal, academic, policy and community expertise among commissioners is intended to balance technical constitutional analysis with practical considerations drawn from public consultation.
With the swearing-in now complete, the Commission is expected to begin its outreach and consultation program in the coming weeks, backed by its secretariat and the allocated budget. The August 31, 2026 deadline establishes a clear timeframe for the review’s final recommendations, setting up the next phase of public debate and parliamentary consideration over possible constitutional reform.
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