Registrar of Political Parties Ana Mataiciwa announced yesterday the official deregistration of the FijiFirst party, marking the end of its era. According to section 30(1) of the Political Parties Act, those affected by this decision have the option to appeal to the Electoral Commission of Fiji within 14 days.
If no appeal is made within the specified timeframe, the Registrar will initiate the process of winding-up as outlined in section 28(1) of the Act. A detailed account of the decision was sent to each of FijiFirst’s 26 Members of Parliament as well as Speaker of Parliament Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu.
Mataiciwa explained that on May 30, 2024, the party was instructed to modify its constitution to comply with necessary provisions under Schedule 2 of the Act. As the party failed to respond to the requirement by June 28, 2024, Mataiciwa asserted that FijiFirst is immediately deregistered according to section 12(4) of the Act.
Mataiciwa reiterated that appeals can be made to the Electoral Commission of Fiji within 14 days of the decision. However, none of the founding members who resigned last month were able to make necessary modifications to the party constitution. The Leader of the Opposition, Inia Seruiratu, did not respond to attempts to contact him regarding the matter.