Fiji’s New Generation Party (NGP) has been deregistered, acting Registrar of Political Parties Ana Mataiciwa confirms.
In a statement, Mataiciwa said the party was deregistered after failing to submit their audited accounts for the financial year 2022 as required under section 26(2) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding & Disclosures) Act 2013.
They were given time to remedy the breach, but did not do so prompting their deregistration,
Their deregistration means they cannot hold themselves out to be a political party, including summoning meetings, attending meetings, publishing notices, seeking support, and contributing or loaning funds to the party. The total number of registered political parties in Fiji now stands at 8.
NGP was initially suspended alongside three others including the Opposition FijiFirst party in May this year and was issued notice to address the breach within 60 days. After the 60-day period on July 15, they were given an additional 14 days ending July 17 to justify why they should not be registered. Mataiciwa received their response yesterday, July 31 which she deemed “not satisfactory”.
“Further, the party has still not submitted the audited account for the year 2022 as required under section 26(2) of the Act. Given the above, NGP has failed to remedy the breach despite being given the requisite time under the law.”
NGP applied for registration in the lead-up to the 2022 Election in April last year and was approved a month later, becoming the ninth party to contest the country’s third election under the 2013 Constitution. They were one of three new parties to be registered alongside We Unite Fiji Party that signed up the same month and Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s People’s Alliance party (September 2021).
