Fijian Elections to Conduct USP Student Body Poll

In accordance with the Electoral Act 2014, the Attorney-General and Minister Responsible for Elections, Aiyaz SayedKhaiyum, has approved the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) to conduct the upcoming elections for the University of the South Pacific Students’ Association (USPSA).

The approval was granted following the USPSA’s request that the FEO carry out their student elections given the credibility and expertise the FEO demonstrated when successfully conducting the Fiji National University Student Union elections last year. In announcing the approval, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum stressed the importance of credible elections across all levels of Fijian society. “We are very glad to see that USP’s student leadership is so keen to engage the FEO – an organisation that has already received international acclaim for adhering to international best practices in running credible elections,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum.

“In any democratic society, it is not only elections at the parliamentary level that must be transparent and

The approval was granted following the USPSA’s request that the FEO carry out their student elections given their credibility and expertise.

credible. We must see those same values in elections at every level of society. In our sporting bodies, parent-teacher associations, student unions, trade unions or any organisation anywhere in Fiji, we must have elections conducted in a transparent and accountable fashion that preserves public faith in our elected officials.

“That is how true democratic values and principles are embedded in society. Again, it is wonderful to see the USP Students’ Association show the wisdom to use the professional and impartial services of the FEO,” he said.