The Fijian Elections Office has highlighted the need for enhanced engagement and initiatives to facilitate increased involvement of women in the electoral process.
In a statement, Acting Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa said statistics from the previous elections serve as a foundation for developing strategies to promote greater female representation in electoral affairs.
Mataiciwa said challenges persist, mirroring a global trend where women frequently refrain from voting for female candidates.
She said in the 2022 General Election, 345,240 women registered to vote, with 238,389 women casting their ballots and while the overall voter turnout for women exceeded that of men, only six out of the 54 women candidates were elected to Parliament.
This, Mataiciwa said constituted a mere 11 percent of the total number of elected candidates – For the number of votes received 37,252 votes were received for women candidates.
She said this represented eight percent of the total number of votes in 2022.
Mataiciwa said there has been a noticeable decline in the number of women candidates contesting in the General Election over the years.
“In 2014, 44 out of 248 candidates were women, which was 18 percent of the total number of candidates. Eight out of the 44 women candidates were elected into Parliament, which represented 16 percent of the total number of elected candidates.”
In terms of the number of votes received, 78, 216 votes were received for the women candidates. This represented 13 percent of the total number of votes recorded in 2014,” she said.
Mataiciwa further stated that in 2018, 56 out of 235 candidates were women, which was 24 percent of the total number of candidates.
She said 10 out of the 56 women candidates were elected into Parliament. This represented 20 percent of the total number of elected candidates. For the number of votes received, 37, 435 votes were received for the women candidates. This represented eight percent of the total number of votes recorded for 2018.
“However, with the recent changes to the Electoral (Voter Registration) Act 2012, particularly the names they can register with, I am positive that more women will freely participate in the electoral process moving forward. I am also reminding women intending to register as voters that they can now do so without the need to alter their name on their birth certificate to reflect their married name,” she said.
The Fijian Elections Office recognizes the importance of addressing disparities and remains hopeful that through a holistic and collaborative approach involving relevant authorities and stakeholders, significant progress can be achieved in enhancing women’s participation in the elections for Fiji.
