Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is downplaying tensions within his coalition over his unilateral decision to announce the date for the country’s first-ever national referendum ahead of an upcoming election.
Local media are reporting that Rabuka maintains that his announcement on Monday for a referendum vote on changing Fiji’s 2013 Constitution does not break any laws, despite the move being called out by the opposition as “putting the cart before the horse”.
Other critics are calling Rabuka’s move unconstitutional because under the current constitution, the prime minister cannot call for or set a date for a referendum.
The Fijian government had earlier stated that a new constitution would come into effect on Christmas Eve.
On Monday, Rabuka told reporters at a news conference that the referendum on the constitutional reform would be held on 9 December – two days after the government’s Constitutional (Amendment) Bill passed its second reading.
He also announced that he would write to the Electoral Commission of Fiji (EC) to cease all election-related campaigning, which has a hard deadline of 6 February.
The Commission has said it would seriously consider Rabuka’s request before making a decision.
However, Rabuka’s Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica said the “timetable for the delivery of the referendum was amicably discussed” with the Electoral Commission and the Fijian Elections Office.
“The need to announce the referendum dates was advised by EC Chair and [Supervisor of Elections]. The [prime minister] did not force anything on EC or the SOE,” he said in a comment defending Rabuka in response to a Facebook post on the issue.
Moanoa Kamikamica’s comments in response to Rabuka announcing a date for the referendum.
Screengrab / Facebook
Kamikamica’s comments differ from what Rabuka and the EC have stated publicly – that the Commission would make its decision independently.
The two minor partners that enabled Rabuka to form government after the 2022 general election have expressed objections about rushing the constitutional reform process.
National Federation Party leader Biman Prasad has called on the prime minister to reconsider his decision, while Social Democratic Liberal Party leader Aseri Radrodro wants Rabuka to “respect constitutional boundaries”.
Fiji’s leading civil society organisations have warned that the EC cannot lawfully suspend general election campaigning at this stage.
However, Rabuka is not backing down from his position, according to local media reports.
“The Prime Minister maintains that the coalition government’s objective remains the implementation of the necessary constitutional changes but says this must be done within the confines of the law,” state broadcaster FBC reported.
Meanwhile, fijivillage.com reported: “Rabuka says while the government can make recommendations to the Electoral Commission, the ultimate decision rests with them, and the Government will fully respect their independence.”
The Fiji Labour Party, which is not in parliament, is calling the situation a constitutional crisis.
In a statement, it said that Rabuka has “unlawfully and unconstitutionally” declared a national referendum date even before the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill is passed by parliament.
“The Bill itself faces serious controversy over the manner in which it was railroaded through Parliament without adequate scrutiny or debate,” the statement read.
