Fiji constitution review report set to be handed to president

Fiji’s Constitutional Review Commission is set to hand its final report to President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu after months of consultations across the country.

The seven-member commission began work in mid-March and had an Aug. 31 deadline. Its mandate included gathering and analysing submissions on the 2013 Constitution before presenting recommendations to the president, Cabinet and eventually Parliament.

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a chance for ordinary Fijians, from every community and all walks of life, to have a say in the review of the supreme law

The commission travelled through Fiji to hear from communities, villages, organisations, institutions and other stakeholders. The government said participants shared their concerns, aspirations and recommendations about the constitution and the country’s constitutional future.

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The submission follows months of nationwide consultations and engagement, during which the Commission travelled across Fiji to hear directly from Fijians on the [2013] Constitution and the country's constitutional future

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told Parliament in April that the review offered ordinary Fijians from every community and walk of life a chance to influence the country’s supreme law. The government now says consultations have ended and the next stage will focus on the report’s findings and recommendations.

Fiji has had four national constitutions since independence from the United Kingdom in 1970. The current document, promulgated under the Bainimarama administration in 2013, has faced criticism from opponents who call it unfair and unrepresentative. Several prominent iTaukei leaders, including the Great Council of Chiefs, have also condemned it as anti-indigenous. Some critics have linked it to social problems and a decline in societal values.

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The consultations are complete, and the final report is ready for submission, marking the beginning of the next stage of Fiji's constitutional journey.