The Proposed Liberation of Fiji Party has taken the first formal step towards becoming an official political party after lodging its application for registration with the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) yesterday.
Registrar of Political Parties Ana Mataiciwa confirmed the application was received and said it will be published both in a newspaper and in the Fiji Government Gazette as required under the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding & Disclosures) Act 2013. That publication, Mataiciwa said, triggers the statutory period during which members of the public may submit objections to the party’s registration.
Any objections received will be considered by the FEO. Mataiciwa said the office will assess objections, provide the proposed party an opportunity to respond, and then carry out a full review of whether the application meets all legal and administrative requirements before the Registrar reaches a final decision to approve or reject registration.
The move brings the Proposed Liberation of Fiji Party into a process that has recently been tested. Earlier this year the People First party secured registration after its application — submitted in November — was published and drew four objections that were subsequently dismissed by the Registrar. That decision, reported in January, illustrated the pathway for objections to be raised, considered and resolved under the Act; those who objected in that case retained the right to appeal the Registrar’s ruling to the Electoral Commission within the statutory timeframe.
Mataiciwa framed the formal steps as designed to protect transparency and public participation in Fiji’s party system. Publishing applications in the Gazette and local media is intended to ensure citizens and other stakeholders can scrutinise proposed party names, symbols, constitutions and compliance with statutory provisions before a party is formally recognised.
The FEO has not disclosed when the newspaper and Gazette notices for the Proposed Liberation of Fiji Party will appear, but once published the office will begin processing any objections received and complete its compliance review. A final determination on the party’s registration will be made only after that review and any response from the applicant have been considered. The FEO is expected to issue further updates as the objection period concludes and a decision is reached.