Rabuka: I want to contest party leader role in 2022

Outgoing SODELPA Party Leader Sitiveni Rabuka says he wants to contest the party leader role and lead the party into the 2022 General Election. He resigned from the role in accordance with party’s constitution, but was asked to remain as a caretaker before a new party leader is elected.

Mr Rabuka said he was aiming for a second term “for the betterment of the country”.

He said the party’s constitution did not expressly state that he couldn’t re-contest.

“I will be available as a normal party member, yes, but applying for the party leader position is also different. They are two separate things,” Mr Rabuka said.

“I can apply as party leader but my term lapses if the election result is not favourable, and it lapses according to the constitution.”

He said that came into effect after the 2014 election when SODELPA amended its constitution making it compulsory for the party leader to relinquish the role in the event of an election loss.

Then party leader, Ro Teimumu Kepa, was forced to step down despite strong opposition from her camp.

She did not seek re-election after the post was advertised on the understanding that a new leader should take over.

The party had published an advertisement last Saturday calling for expressions of interests from interested individuals for the position.

Interested applicants were advised to review the information packs.

Mr Rabuka said: “I can get a kit that goes out with the advertisement. Those who want to apply will have to fill in the application according to the kit, like your biodata, qualification and experiences and those are the things that we’ll have to go and get so that all the applications come in uniform format, so that it’s easy for those doing the pre-selection to go through the kit and probably score each of us before they put it forward for the interviews and then they will put the result of the interview forward to the management board and the AGM.”