Fiji’s prime minister has announced the country will hold its first-ever constitutional referendum in just over two months’ time, and election campaigning for the upcoming polls will be suspended.
In a news conference in Suva on Monday, Sitiveni Rabuka told reporters that his coalition government has identified Wednesday, 9 December, as the date for the potential referendum.
Rabuka said he has written to the Electoral Commission to suspend all general election campaigning.
It comes after the Fijian parliament passed the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 on Friday to move forward with the Rabuka-led coalition’s plan to discard the 2013 Constitution. The bill now enters a 30-day public consultation phase before returning for a final third reading on 2 November.
Rabuka needs the bill to pass its third reading for the constitutional process to move to a referendum. However, he has pre-emptively announced that the referendum will go ahead on 9 December.
The proposed bill follows a lengthy review process by an independent commission that produced an alternative constitution, which the government has partially written into the bill.
Proposed changes include establishing a Senate, removing immunity provisions for those involved in the 2006 coup, and re-introducing references to God and Christianity in the preamble.
The prime minister also confirmed that the question put to the people has not yet been decided, but said it would only require a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote.
“On the day, all eligible Fijians will have the opportunity to exercise their democratic right and make their own decision on the question or questions that will be placed before them,” Rabuka said.
Fijians still have not been told the date for the country’s general election, but Rabuka has maintained it would go ahead by 6 February next year – the latest elections could be held under the current constitution.
More than 723,000 eligible voters have registered to vote, and 11 political parties are planning to contest.
It followed a lengthy review process by an independent commission that produced an alternative constitution, and which the government has partially written into the bill.
Proposed changes included establishing a Senate, killing immunity provisions for those involved in the 2006 coup, and re-introducing references to god and christianity in the preamble.
Constitutional changes require a two-thirds parliamentary majority, and must also be voted in a referendum by a majority of participating voters.
“The decisions we make about our constitutional future demand our careful consideration and our full particupation in the weeks ahead,” Rabuka said.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Democracy and Dialogue said it has written to the Electoral Commission, warning that suspending general election campaigning now would be “illegal”.
The civil society organisation said that no referendum polling day had yet been lawfully set.
“The Constitution Amendment Bill has not completed its third reading, the President has not issued a referendum writ and the legal conditions required by section 15(2) of the National Referendum Act do not exist,” it said in a statement.
“A political announcement by the Prime Minister cannot activate this power or direct the Commission to suspend campaigning.”
