Last night, it was confirmed that an appeal has been lodged with the Electoral Commission (EC) against the deregistration of the FijiFirst party. The appeal, submitted by former party members, was due by yesterday.
On July 1, the Registrar of Political Parties, Ana Mataiciwa, deregistered the party, and those affected by this decision were given 15 days to file an appeal with the EC. Two separate sources within the group not aligned with the Coalition Government confirmed that the appeal has indeed been filed.
“Please get the details from the Electoral Commission. We don’t want to jeopardize the application process,” said a former party member.
EC chairperson Barbara Malimali stated she could not comment on the issue. The ruling by the Electoral Commission will be final and binding, with no possibility of being challenged in any court of law.