Communal Constituencies (Fiji) - Multiracial Voters

Multiracial Voters

Multiracial citizens were formerly required to enroll on the General Electors's roll, or according to the race of their father. In the 1990s, Chinese-Fijian businessman and politician James Ah Koy challenged this rule in court. The law, and later the Constitution, were consequently amended to allow persons with multiple ethnic origins to register on any communal roll for which any of their ancestors, in either the male or female line, would have qualified. Many Fijian citizens of mixed Fijian and European origin, commonly known as Vasus, have since transferred from the General Electors' communal roll to the Fijian one.

This has generated some controversy in the leadup to the parliamentary election scheduled for 2006. United Peoples Party leader Mick Beddoes expressed concern that electoral officials were encouraging members of minority communities to register on the Fijian communal roll, and were failing to provide them with the necessary forms to enroll as General Electors. "It is not unusual for members of the Vasu community to be registered on the Fijian roll," Beddoes said. "However encouraging minority voters to register as Fijians and not having a General Registration form for them to fill out when visiting their homes and only using a Fijian and Indian registration form, is unusual to say the least." A senior election officer said that the complaint was being taken very seriously.