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2022 Jul. contributed by the Fijian Elections Office

The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) has conducted two general elections under the leadership of the Supervisor of FEO, Mr. Mohammed Saneem since he was appointed to this position by the President of Fiji in 2014. Now preparing to take the country through the upcoming election, the Supervisor of Elections, Mr. Mohammed Saneem, also made time amid the chaos to pursue further studies earning himself a Master in Electoral Policy and Administration.

“Election management is a highly specialized field and while very few get to work in it, there is even less literature developed in terms of election administration,” Mr. Saneem said.

His thesis “The establishment of a permanent election management body in Fiji and its impacts on the transparency and credibility of elections” conducts a comparative analysis of the performance of a temporary and permanent EMB in Fiji. Specifically, it focuses on voter registration, polling venue management, invalid votes and voter education. 

For the first time, polling stations in Fiji will have Voting Steps in Braille in the upcoming 2022 General Election.

The milestone achievement was an initiative of the Elections Disability Access Working Group (EDAWG), chaired by Ms. Anaseini Senimoli, also the Director of Operations for FEO.

EDAWG, which consists of FEO and various Organizations for Persons with Disabilities in Fiji, was established in 2016 with a mandate to look at ways of making the electoral processes inclusive for persons with disabilities.

“As an election management body, we have to deliver the right to vote, create an inclusive environment and empower everyone to participate in the election process meaningfully,” Ms. Senimoli said.

Under Ms. Senimoli’s leadership, EDAWG has achieved the following in voter inclusion:

1. Provision of mobile voter registration for those individuals facing difficulties in reaching a voter registration center

2.  Improved accessibility to polling venues

3.  Voter education – Braille and large prints for the visually impaired

4.  FEO website revamped to include disability-friendly features

5.  Tailor-made recruitment and training when necessary

6.  Election materials – consisting of Assisted Voting Chart, magnifying glasses and portable voting screens made available at all polling stations

EDAWG aspires to develop new ways and processes to fully enable people with disabilities to exercise their political will and right.

Relevant publication

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