Nirvasha Kumar
23 Mar 2022
A one-day Dialogue Fiji (DF) workshop on Fiji’s Electoral system and processes was held at the Tanoa Skylodge Hotel, in Nadi on the 23rd of March, 2022.
The activity is part of the “Building Public Confidence in Elections in Fiji through Civil Society Actions” project which is funded by UKAid through theConflict, Stability, and Security Fund and is being implemented by Dialogue Fiji and International IDEA.
Taking place against the backdrop of the 2022 general elections in Fiji, the workshop aimed to increase understanding of the country’s electoral framework and processes
More than 35 participants joined from different communities in Nadi, which included representatives from various youth groups, civil society organisation and organisations of people with special needs.
The workshop sessions were facilitated by the DF Programmes Officer, Dzoshua Yee, and the DF Administration and Finance Manager, Farisha Nigar.
In his opening remarks, Mr Yee welcomed the participants and elaborated on the aim of the workshop and the duties of participants upon its completion.
“This workshop aims to build the knowledge and understanding of the participants on electoral system and processes whereby we hope that everyone present here today would become better informed voters upon the conclusion of the event and disseminate the key learnings with your respective communities,” said Mr. Yee.
The two facilitators presented on the electoral systems, seat allocation methods and and included activities such a history walk showing the electoral system evolution in Fiji. The workshop included group dialogue and deliberative sessions which allowed for participant interaction and reflection, and allowed people from diverse orientations to dialogue on issues and questions that emerged.
The participants reflection on the workshop.
Shahista Shafiq, who represented the Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network (CYCN Fiji) said her participation in the workshop was due to the limited knowledge she had about elections and and that she wanted to understand the voting processes better to make an informed and responsible choice.
Ranjeeta Devi from Fiji Disabled People’s Federation said she would use the learnings from the workshop to raise awareness amongst Fijians with special needs since they are unaware of such technical but important details about our electoral system. She further thanked Dialogue Fiji for organizing an inclusive community education workshop.