The Opposition faction is currently without a political party, with its members set to function as independent Members of Parliament (MPs) following their inability to discuss their deregistration as a caucus. Ana Mataiciwa, Supervisor of Election (SoE), disclosed yesterday that the party FijiFirst is now deregistered.
Originally, a public declaration regarding the deregistration of FijiFirst was expected from Ms Mataiciwa last Friday, but the deadline passed without a statement. She has used her authority under Section 12(4) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding & Disclosures) Act, 2013 to deregister the party.
The official notice instructs FijiFirst to rectify a glitch concerning how the party handled member grievances in their constitution. This error in the party constitution is the reason for the deregistration. According to Ms Mataiciwa, the party was given up till 4pm Friday, June 28, 2024, to make necessary changes.
Senior Opposition MP Premila Kumar states that the next course of action for the opposition MPs is still to be decided now that their party is deregistered. As ex FijiFirst MPs, she encourages them to hold group discussions about their future plans. Despite the deregistration, they’ll continue to function as independent Opposition members. Other Opposition MPs have expressed their disappointment at the deregistration of their party, but respect the decision and pledge to uphold their parliamentary duties and the principles of FijiFirst.