The Proposed Liberation of Fiji Party has formally lodged its application for registration with the Registrar of Political Parties, Ana Mataiciwa, the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) confirmed today — the latest development as new political groups prepare for the next general election.
Ms Mataiciwa said the FEO will now publish the party’s application in a newspaper and in the Fiji Government Gazette, as required under the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act 2013. “Once the publication is made, the objections period will officially open,” she said, signalling the start of a statutory window for public comment on the proposed party.
Under the process outlined by the Registrar, any member of the public may lodge a written objection to the party’s registration during the designated objections period. The FEO will give the proposed party an opportunity to respond to any objections and has pledged to assess and respond to all objections within seven days of receipt. “We will assess and respond to all objections within seven days of receipt, after giving the proposed party an opportunity to respond, and afterwards inform both the objectors and the applicant party of the decision,” Ms Mataiciwa said.
The Registrar stressed that a final decision on whether to approve or reject the application will only be taken after a full review of the party’s compliance with the requirements set out in the 2013 Political Parties Act. The FEO said transparency and public participation are central to the registration system, which is designed to ensure proposed parties meet legal standards on registration, conduct, funding and disclosures before gaining official recognition.
The application from the Proposed Liberation of Fiji Party comes amid heightened activity among political movements ahead of the next general election. In recent months other groups, such as the Allied Fiji Party, have taken preliminary steps to establish their identities and reserve party names with the FEO, underscoring a growing push by new entrants to formalise ahead of the campaign period.
The immediate next step is publication of the application in the Gazette and a national newspaper, which will trigger the objections period. Following any objections and the party’s responses, the FEO will proceed with its statutory review and notify both the applicant and any objectors of its decision. The timeframe for the final determination will depend on the outcome of that compliance assessment and any issues raised during the objections process.