An overseas electorate or expatriate voting being considered?
One of the areas of discussion inside the current administration is the option of allowing expatriate Fijian citizens and passport holders to cast an absentee vote during elections.
This could be easily inserted into the new constitution and many countries including Australia and New Zealand allow for expatriate voting.
There seems to be a majority in favor of this idea but it has several potential drawbacks.
Registration of voters living overseas would have to be undertaken at an Embassy or Consulate. Does this mean they would have to be preregistered or could they vote simply by showing their passport?
Should they have to prove they have regularly returned to Fiji in order to vote or should holding a passport be enough?
What electorate would they vote in? Would it be their last address in Fiji or would one or more fictitious “International” electorates be formed to cater for their votes?
The makeup of the potential international vote is causing some angst within the immigration department because it has been unable to quantify even the number of passport holders living overseas.
It has suggested that the majority of the passport holders who left before 2006 may support the current administration as they would have left being disillusioned by the Qarase or previous governments. Those that have left since 2006 would more likely support an opposition.
The big question is would this be reigniting an old problem as the ethnic majority that existed before the first coup may be reinstated by allowing absentee voting.
First they need to work out how many Fiji citizens are living overseas?
Neither of these questions are currently able to be answered by the Immigration Department although they should have this information at their fingertips.
BASA
Fiji Today FijiTodays Open Forum Blog 
I don’t think opening up the elections to overseas voters is a big deal. Most countries do the same to.
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/archive/Elections2006
In past elections, (except 2006) Fiji also had electoral teams going to places where Fiji soldiers were post in Sinai etc.
ROFLMAO. What and risk all the FLP, NFP, SDL, GVP hardcore supporters abroad skewing the election results against the illegal & treasonous regime’s favour?
If the regime were to go ahead with it, it would be a sure-fire act of desperation knowing that the results would not be in their favour but nonetheless ‘available’ for their manipulation by the Fiji embassies who will undoubtedly be manned by military types and/or regime brown-nosers.
If Fiji’s UK Embassy has gone all out with the hearts & minds propaganda targetting currently serving Fijian British Army boys – it’s pretty obvious that this is part of the game-plan.
Tampering with the elections here in Fiji under the noses of many international observers is not an option for the illegal and treasonous regime.
Bring it on
we fiji citizens living abroad have full right to take part in national elections.
@Mokosiga
So you are living abroad mmmm interesting because your other names or friends supposedly live in Suva and Lami.
other countries seem to manage, unless in this regime thinks fiji is another ‘special case with unique issues’. The ‘grab all’ they use whenever best practice is thrown in their face. Always bleating on about repsesentative government, presumably they will ignore this and continue disenfranschise overseas fijians with a right to say who governs their homleand. Work it out .
Most people living overseas are already participating in elections in the country they live…so what is the point in double dipping.
@ Ratu Vore
well some of the Fijians living abroad, a born into this country , some still own business, property here in Fiji today. in other words i want to say , they still pay taxes to this country and hold dual citizenship[Fiji passport], may be not in personal tax to firca but ground rent, garbage rate, business license and town or city rate. so they contribute to this country. they may have jobs and family abroad that is why they a there[overseas in :nz/oz/uk/us/Canada/Germany /etc] but they every equal right as a ordinary Fijian who live in Fiji today. they have a right to vote also! some of them send remittance to this country , that help there family.
Faceless
Cut the crap. A lot of people hold dual citizenship the world over but they participate in only one election; the country they live in.
That is the point I am raising