Fijian general election, 2018
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All 51 seats in the Parliament of Fiji 26 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 637,537 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 458,570 (72%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Fiji |
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General elections were held in Fiji on 14 November 2018[1] and the Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama's party, FijiFirst has won the re-election with 50.02 percent of the votes, while main opposition SODELPA came in second at 39.85 percent.[2] The outcome gives FijiFirst a narrow but outright majority of 27 seats in the country's 51-seat parliament and Bainimarama a second term[3]. Female representation has risen to 20 percent with 10 women elected to parliament. Almost three quarters of registered voters turned out to vote[4].
Background[edit]
On 30 September Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announced that the elections would be held on 14 November 2018. President Jioji Konrote subsequently dissolved parliament in accordance with section 58(3) of the constitution, on the advice of the Prime Minister.
234 candidates representing six political parties contested in the elections. 56 of the candidates were women.[5] Candidate numbers for the ballot paper were drawn on 18 October.[6]
Election schedule[edit]
Key dates relating to the general election were as follows:
| 30 September (Sunday) | Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announces elections to be held on 14 November 2018. |
| 30 September (Sunday) | President Jioji Konrote dissolves parliament in accordance with section 58(3) of the constitution, on the advice of the Prime Minister. |
| 1 October (Monday) | President Jioji Konrote issues the writ of election |
| 1 October (Monday) | Registration of voters ends at 6 p.m. |
| 2 October (Tuesday) | Candidate nominations open at 8 a.m. |
| 15 October (Monday) | Candidate nominations close at 12 p.m. |
| 24 October (Wednesday) | Postal voting applications close at 5 p.m. |
| 5 November (Monday) | Pre-poll voting begins |
| 10 November (Saturday) | Pre-poll voting ends |
| 12 November (Monday) | Media blackout on campaigning commences at 12.00 a.m. for 48 hours |
| 14 November (Wednesday) | Election Day – polling places open from 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| 14 November (Wednesday) | Election Night – provisional results will be progressively released from 6 p.m. |
| 18 November (Sunday) | Official results declared |
| 18 November (Sunday) | President Jioji Konrote receives the Writ of Election from the Electoral Commission. |
Electoral system[edit]
The 51 members of the Parliament of Fiji are elected from a single nationwide constituency by open list proportional representation with an electoral threshold of 5%. Seats are allocated using the d'Hondt method.[7][8]
Results[edit]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FijiFirst | 227,241 | 50.02 | 27 | –5 | ||
| Social Democratic Liberal Party | 181,072 | 39.85 | 21 | +6 | ||
| National Federation Party | 33,515 | 7.38 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Unity Fiji Party | 6,896 | 1.52 | 0 | New | ||
| HOPE | 2,811 | 0.62 | 0 | New | ||
| Fiji Labour Party | 2,800 | 0.62 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 4,179 | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 458,335 | 100 | 51 | +1 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 637,527 | 71.27 | – | – | ||
| Source: Fiji Village | ||||||
Elected MPs[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ FEO Launches 2018 General Elections Publication Handbook Fiji Sun, 19 January 2018
- ^ Press, Australian Associated (2018-11-18). "Fiji election: Bainimarama returned as PM in slim victory". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
- ^ "2018 General Election: FijiFirst secures 27 seats to form government". FijiTimes. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
- ^ "More women, bigger opposition in Fiji parliament". Radio New Zealand. 2018-11-19. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
- ^ "Six political parties to contest Fijian elections". RNZ. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ "Candidate numbers drawn". FBC. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
- ^ Electoral system IPU
- ^ Electoral system for national legislature – Fiji IDEA
- ^ Talebula Kate (18 November 2018). "2018 General Election: FijiFirst secures 27 seats to form government". Fiji Times. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ Talebula Kate (18 November 2018). "2018 General Election: SODELPA secures 21 seats". Fiji Times. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ Talebula Kate (18 November 2018). "2018 General Election: NFP trio to join Opposition". Fiji Times. Retrieved 18 November 2018.