The need for physical distancing during this COVID-19 pandemic has raised the need for innovative campaign methods to be developed by election contestants because conventional campaign methods such as rallies, public meetings, etc. are prohibited in some jurisdictions. Distant and online election campaigning may be seen as restrictive to both contestants and voters alike due to physical and technological barriers that appear. To what degree is this true?
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Fiji of the South Pacific has successfully contained the COVID-19 outbreak without any deaths recorded to date. The Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete will make a presentation on the ministry’s approach used in containing the COVID-19 outbreak, and also talk about the strategies being developed for possible future outbreaks.
In early May 2024, Suva hosted the two-day Roadmap Workshop, which aimed to empower local stakeholders in Fiji to effectively inform about threats surrounding elections.
A principios de mayo de 2024, Suva organizó el Taller de Hoja de Ruta de dos días de duración, cuyo objetivo era empoderar a las partes interesadas locales en Fiji para que informaran de manera efectiva sobre las amenazas en torno a las elecciones.
This Discussion Paper reviews the performance of 16 lobbying registers according to 3 interlinked dimensions: (a) transparency; (b) regulatory capacity; and (c) interoperability. Under ‘transparency’, the paper examines the scope of lobbying information collected by the register in question, as well as how that information is administered and subsequently disclosed.
Democracies worldwide are facing a decline in trust in public institutions and the political system affecting election management bodies and electoral processes in ways that risk contested elections and societal instability.
Victoria held state elections on Saturday 26 November 2022. Six weeks previously, the state had suffered serious floods.
Democracy is on trial in the climate crisis. It is charged with having failed to prevent dangerous climate change. To its critics, the very same features of democracy praised as its defining virtues—popular sovereignty, the accountability and responsiveness of elected officials, public debate and deliberation—are handicaps that impede effective climate action. However, this trial is not over and it would not be safe to deliver a verdict at this stage.
La Oficina Electoral de Fiji (OFE) y el Instituto Internacional para la Democracia y Asistencia Electoral (IDEA Internacional) firmaron conjuntamente un Memorando de Entendimiento (MoU) en Canberra, Australia y Suva, Fiji, el jueves 25 de mayo de 2023 que restablece los lazos entre las organizaciones.
Calls to enfranchise people as young as sixteen are growing around the world, with some countries already adjusting the vote to align with the national age of employment, taxation, and military service.
In Australia, common consensus is lagging but some experts believe it is only a matter of time. From the sidelines of the Australian National University’s APSA conference, Billie Phillips spoke to Professor Lisa Hill about the growing movement.
Fiji has concluded the 2023 elections and the results are in. Although the Melanesian country has achieved the change in power that many had hoped for, the picture is less rosy for women’s representation in parliament. Could the offensive treatment women politicians received on social media be to blame?
International IDEA’s Youth Democracy Academy is contributing to deeper youth engagement in Fiji’s democratic processes through investing in the country’s young people and their knowledge of democratic institutions processes.
In a bid to deepen relationships across the Asia-Pacific region, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s (International IDEA) Secretary-General Dr Kevin Casas-Zamora met with multiple political, electoral and stakeholder groups in Australia and India during his October 2022 mission to the regional headquarters in Canberra.
International IDEA conducted three webinars exploring corruption in the region as part of the “Democratic Development in the Melanesian webinar series 2022”. Absence of Corruption is one of the key attributes used to monitor the quality of democracy under International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy Indices.
The 2022 Fiji general election, for 55 seats in the Parliament, will take place on 14 December 2022. So far 316 provisional candidates have been named from 8 of the 9 political parties of which 55 are women—17 per cent of the total number. The figure is likely to increase with more provisional names expected to be announced soon. A political party may nominate up to 55 candidates by midday of 14 November 2022.
At home in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia lives alongside some of the world's most populous and diverse democracies. As we all emerge from two years of acute COVID-19 restrictions, some things look a little different in our neighbourhood.
Successive Australian governments, for many years now, have not had an explicit policy for fostering and promoting democracy. One is needed, now more than ever.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the institutional position of International IDEA, its Board of Advisers or its Council of Member States.
Remember this web article? Entitled “Research report preview: How are Fiji's women politicians treated on social media?”, the article served as a teaser for the full Report. The Report along with its entire data and analysis is hereby launched.
International IDEA, together with our funding partners and civil society organizations (CSOs), have been convening an annual National Forum on Women in Politics (NFWP) in Fiji since 2018.