Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama met with members of the Komisi Pemilihan Umum (KPU), namely the Indonesian Electoral Commission, led by Dr. Abdul Aziz, to learn from the Indonesian experience of electoral reform and apply relevant lessons to Fiji’s electoral reform process. This was a follow-up meeting to a visit to Fiji by Dr. Abdul Aziz of the KPU.
Prime Minister Bainimarama and his delegation discussed with Dr. Aziz and delegation the evolutionary stages of Indonesia’s electoral reform since its independence in 1945 until today.
The current electoral system in Indonesia, a result of this reform, is a Presidential system, with the national electorate electing the President and the representatives of the People’s Representative Council through a direct vote process. The Senate is elected from the 32 regions of the country, with 4 individuals selected by each region as their representatives. Although candidates for the People’s Representative Council must be members of a political party, and the Presidential candidates must be supported by political parties, Senatorial candidates can be individuals without affiliation.
Discussions on the electoral system ranged from discussion of the different layers of legislatures, the requirements for political parties to enter parliament, the type of balloting systems, and the preparation time for an election. Prime Minister Bainimarama took great interest in the Indonesian system of choosing candidates for the Presidency, which requires either support from either 25% of elected Members of the People’s Representative Council or 25% of the national vote represented by political parties. The President is then elected through a single vote system requiring a simple majority, if necessary through a second round of voting. The requirement for education on the constitution and the electoral system to be a part of the education curriculum was also found to be very relevant to Fiji.
The delegation from the Indonesian Electoral Commission expressed their willingness to continue exchanges with relevant Fijian authorities to discuss in greater detail the Indonesian electoral system in the context of the requirements of Fiji.
Prime Minister Bainimarama was accompanied to this meeting by Ambassador-Designate H.E. Seremaia T. Cavuilati, Chargé d’affaires Mr. Pauliasi Tokasaya and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation official Ms. Namita Khatri.
-End-