For Political Parties

General Election

Candidate nomination process and requirements

Candidate Eligibility Requirements

If you wish to contest for a seat in parliament in the General Election, there are two (2) ways
you can become a candidate:

1. You may be nominated by a registered political party; or

2. You may stand as an independent candidate.

Eligibility criteria

The Constitution of the Republic of Fiji and the Electoral Act 2014 states that to be an eligible candidate, you need to be able to show
that you:

Are a Citizen of Fiji
Are not a citizen of any other country
Are registered in the Register of Voters
Have been living in Fiji for at least two (2) years immediately before you have been nominated
Are not an undischarged bankrupt
Are not a member of the Electoral Commission either now or in the last four (4) years before being nominated
Are not subjected to a sentence of imprisonment when nominated
Have not been convicted of any offence in the last eight (8) years before being nominated for which the maximum penalty under the law is a prison term of 12 months or more.
Have not been found guilty of any offence under a law relating to elections, registration of political parties or registration of voters.

There is an exception to the requirement for living in Fiji for two (2) years if :

You have been in Fiji for an aggregate period of not less than 18 of the last 24 months; and the reason you have been out of Fiji has been to travel for official government business or duties or you have been holding a government position in another country.

The Constitution defines What is meant by “holding a public office”. If you hold a public office, then when your nomination is received by the Supervisor of Elections, you will be considered to have vacated that office. If you continue to hold that office, then two (2) things will happen:

Your nomination will be considered invalid (you won’t be on the list of candidates).
You could be liable for a fine of up to $10,000 or a prison term of up to five (5) years, or both.

Required forms and documents

PLACE OF NOMINATION

All completed nomination documents must be submitted at the FEO Headquarters, located at 59–63 High Street, Toorak, Suva.

NOMINATION FORMS

There will be two (2) types of nomination forms for the 2026 General Election:
Form One, is for Independent Candidate nominations and Form Two is for Political Party Candidate nominations

Both of these forms can be accessed on:

Form 1 - DECLARATION OF ASSETS & INCOME (POLITICAL PARTIES’ CANDIDATES & INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES)

1 file(s) 198.37 KB

Download

Form 2 - DECLARATION OF ASSETS, INCOME & OFFICES HELD IN A CORPORATION OR OTHER ORGANISATIONS (POLITICAL PARTIES’ CANDIDATES & INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES)

1 file(s) 201.88 KB

Download

Nomination forms are to be accompanied with deposits of $1,000.00 for each Party candidate and $1,000.00 for each Independent candidate.
Those who wish to register their nomination as Independent candidate must also present a list of 1000 supporters in the approved form along with their nomination form.

All candidates are also required to submit a recent passport size photograph in electronic copy in high quality resolution of 300ppi either in JPEG or PNG format and a certified true copy of their birth certificate.
When Nominations are lodged, they will be considered provisional until approved by the SoE. The approval process may take 24 – 48 hours. The Electoral Act 2014 does not allow for any changes or replacement of candidates after the close of Nominations at 12 noon.

APPEALS

Any person who was nominated as a candidate but was rejected by the SoE may appeal the decision of the SoE to the Electoral Commission (EC). The person must complete the Appeals Form [link] and submit it to the EC before 4.00 pm on the day following the close of nominations.

OBJECTIONS

If someone who is a registered voter knows that any candidate’s nomination does not comply with the legal requirements, then that person may object to the nomination.

The person objecting must complete and file the Objection Form [insert link] to the EC before 4.00 pm on the day following the close of nominations. A $100 fee must be paid for each objection that is lodged. So, for example if someone objects to two (2) candidates, the fee is $200.

WITHDRAWALS

Any candidate who wishes to withdraw his or her nomination form, can do so by providing a written notice to the Supervisor of Elections no later than 12.00pm on the day after the close of nominations.

If anyone withdraws their nomination after the close of nominations, then no new nominations may be made to replace them.