Opposition Member of Parliament Alvick Maharaj has reaffirmed his commitment to appealing the deregistration of the FijiFirst Party. His comments come in response to a statement from the Electoral Commission of Fiji (ECF), which indicated that it convened on Friday in its judicial capacity to review Maharaj’s appeal against the Registrar of Political Parties’ decision to deregister the party on July 1, 2024.
Maharaj stated, “It’s a working process at the moment as it is before court; however, I definitely stand by my decision on appealing against the deregistration.” He filed his appeal in accordance with Section 12(4) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act.
ECF chairperson Barbara Malimali expressed satisfaction that the process is progressing and noted, “We look forward to publishing our decision at the conclusion.” She added, “Until then, we will not be in a position to comment. We trust the public of Fiji will understand this need for discretion and be patient.”