Fiji will have its first independent candidate in four years following the approval of the nomination of Mr. Rajendra Prasad Sharma to contest the 2022 General Election.
Having submitted his nomination six days ago, Mr. Sharma is also the country’s first approved candidate to compete when the country heads to the polls in next month.
In the previous election in 2018, Fiji did not have independent candidates, and as such Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem said that the new development indicated “a greater confidence in the electoral platform and greater interest amongst individuals to participate in the electoral process by becoming candidates to contest the election.”
For the general election, there are two types of nomination one being an independent candidate, like in Mr. Sharma’s case, and the other being a political party list submitted by political parties. For independent candidates, aside from the form, they will also need to submit 1000 signatures and a $1,000 deposit.
Photo: FEO
