THE ELECTORAL COMMISSIONREPUBLIC OF FIJI

59 - 63 High Street, Toorak, Suva. P. O. Box 2528, Government Buildings, Suva. Phone: +679 331 0255 Fax: +679 331 9513 Website: www.feo.org.fj

All correspondence to be addressed to the Chairperson

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TableofContents

ForewordbytheSupervisorofElections...........................................................................................................2

ForewordbytheDeputySupervisorofElections.........................................................................................3

Introduction..........................................................................................................................................................................5

The2018GeneralElection..........................................................................................................................................9

ExecutiveDirectorate..................................................................................................................................................11

CorporateServicesDirectorate.............................................................................................................................23

OperationsDirectorate...............................................................................................................................................45

CommandCentreOperations..................................................................................................................................68

DivisionalManagers.....................................................................................................................................................70

StrategicDevelopmentandCommunicationsDirectorate...................................................................82

SpecialProjects................................................................................................................................................................96

Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................................................121

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ForewordbytheSupervisorofElectionsI have the honour topresent the 2018General ElectionReport to the Electoral Commission[“EC”]aspertherequirementsofsection109(1)oftheElectoralAct,2014.

I take this opportunity to thank theAlmighty for blessingmy team and Iwith the strength,perseverance, courage, commitment, ownership and patriotism to effectively execute all therequiredprocessestodeliveranothersuccessfulGeneralElection.

TheFijianElectionsOffice[“FEO”],havingbeenformallyestablishedbytheElectoralAct,on28March2014,conductedthe2014GeneralElectionwhichtransitionedFiji intoParliamentaryGovernanceundertheConstitutionoftheRepublicofFiji,2013.The2018GeneralElectionisthesecondGeneralElectionunderthesamelegalframework.

It is necessary to acknowledge that for the first time in history, the FEO remained fullyoperational in between the General Elections having an adequate complement of staff andappropriatefinancialsupportfromtheState.ThisallowedtheFEOtodevelopandimplementnumerous election related operational, administrative as well as capacity building projectsduringtheelectioncycle.

Recognising the rapid impacts of globalisation and the continuing advancements in electionprocessesglobally thatconstantlyuplift the internationallyacceptednormsofpractice in thedeliveryofelections,theFEOexpandedpartnershipswithregionalandinternationalelectionsorganisations.TheFEOalsoestablishedworkingrelationshipswithotherelectionmanagementbodiesbothfromwithintheregionaswellasglobally.InternationaloutreachbytheFEOgaveitsignificantaccesstomoreprevalentelectionpracticesandatthesametimeallowedtheFEOtoshareitsownadvanceswithotherelectionpractitioners.

The FEO utilised 2014 – 2018 period to develop many foundations for platforms that arerequired to organise credible elections. Groundwork was carried out by the OperationsDirectorate using latest technologies to identify the Polling Venues. The first version of theElectionManagementInformationSystem[“EMS”]wasalsodevelopedtoimplementandtrackelection logistics. The Corporate Directorate successfully procured and implemented theFinancialManagement System aswell as theHumanResourceManagement Systemso as tocompletelydisassociatetheFEOfromtheGovernmentFMISsystemallowingtheFEOtohavecompletefinancialautonomy.

The vision for the 2018 General Election was set by the whole FEO team during the 2015Strategic Planning workshops. The team at the FEO designed, developed and implementedvariousinnovationstoenhancetheefficiencyoftheoperationaldeliveryaswellasenhancethetransparencyoftheprocess.Thebasicconceptof‘showandtell’wasdrivenbyanexcellentsetofverycommittedindividuals.TheFEObrokemany‘glassceilings’inthe2018GeneralElection.

IwishtoacknowledgetheDeputySupervisor,Directors,theentireFEOteamandallourpartneragencies for theirhardwork indelivering the2018GeneralElection. I submit the followingreporttotheEC.

MohammedSaneemSupervisorofElections

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ForewordbytheDeputySupervisorofElectionsNiSaBulaVinaka

ItwaswithgreatpleasurethatItookuptheroleofDeputySupervisorinAprilafterworkingcloselywiththeFEOsince2013onthepreparations for2014GeneralElection.Thismeant IpersonallygotanopportunitytoseetheprogressanddevelopmentofthestaffatFEOandhowtheirconfidencehadgrownwhentheysuccessfullycarriedoutprojectstoahighstandard.

Thisenabledme tobringmyexperience asa technical advisorworkingwith the teams inamanagerial position to oversee the operational activities in the lead up to and during theelection.TheteamatFEOwascommittedtowardsacommongoaltocreateanenvironmenttodeliverafree,fairandtransparent2018GeneralElectionforallFijians.

We introducedamorede-centralisedstructure for the logisticspartof theoperationswhichallowedustohavealocalisedapproachtothedistributionandreturnofelectionmaterials.TheintroductionofhubleaderstobridgethegapbetweenAreaOfficesandpollingvenues,providesupportnetworkforpresidingofficerswasasignificantchangefrom2014andprovedtobeverysuccessful.

The delay in the calling of the election provided us an opportunity to have simulations andcapacitytestingtoensurethatoursystemswereelection-readytoproceedwhenthewritwasissued.TheFEOstaffgrewduringthistimetodeliverwithconfidenceandcommitmentthe2018GeneralElection.Itwasgoodtoseeallthatpreparationanddedicationcometofruition.

Iwasextremelyproudofthestaffandthewaytheyimplementedplansinaccordancewiththetimelinesandmilestonesanddeliveredahighstandardofcustomerservicetoallvotersandstakeholderstoensuretheyhadapositivevotingexperience.

MyyearinFijihasnowcometoanendanditiswithsadnessthatIleavebehindmanyfriendsandcolleaguesattheFEO.Iwillalwaysthinkbackonmytimeherewithfondnessandpride.Iwishthemalltheverybestforthefuture.

Vinakavakalevu

KarylWinterDeputySupervisorofElections

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ListofLaws:

ConstitutionoftheRepublicofFiji,2013

ElectoralAct,2014

PoliticalParties(Registration,Conduct,Funding&Disclosures)Act,2013

Electoral(RegistrationofVoters)Act,2012

ListofAbbreviations:

A-WEB AssociationofWorldElectionsBodies

BRIDGE BuildingResourcesinDemocracy,Governance&Elections

CSO CivilSocietyOrganisation

DM DivisionalManager

DSoE DeputySupervisorofElections

EC ElectoralCommission

EMS ElectionManagementSystem

EVR ElectronicVoterRegistration

EVP ElectionVisitorProgram

FEEC FijianElectoralEducationCentre

FEO FijianElectionsOffice

FICAC FijiIndependentCommissionagainstCorruption

KYE KnowYourElection

MIDA MediaIndustryDevelopmentAuthority

MOG MultinationalObserverGroup

PDW PollingDayWorker

RMIS ResultsManagementInformationSystem

SoE SupervisorofElections

TA TechnicalAdviser

VSC VoterServicesCentre

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Introduction

TheFijianElectionsOfficeTheFEOisanindependentelectionmanagementbodyresponsiblefortheconductofGeneralElectionsandotherelectionsinaccordancewiththelegalframework.UndertheElectoralAct,2014,[“ElectoralAct”]theFEOistheOfficeoftheSupervisorofElections[“SoE”]andissituatedat59-63HighStreet,Toorak,Suva.TheFEOhas60corestaffandemploysup-to400shorttermstaffduringelections.

Aspersection6(2)oftheElectoralAct,theSoEhascompleteindependencetodeterminethecompositionoftheFEOincludingtheauthoritytodeterminetheremuneration,thetermsandconditionsofemploymentandtherecruitmentprocedureaswellasthedisciplinaryprocessestodealwithstaffattheFEO.Itisarequirementundersection7(1)oftheElectoralActthattheSoEmustconducthisdutiesandexercisehispowersinanimpartialmannerandinaccordancewiththelaw.Section8oftheElectoralAct,furtherguaranteesthatintheperformanceofhisorherfunctionsandtheexerciseofhisorherpowers,theSoEisnotsubjecttothedirectionorcontrolbyanyperson,exceptthatheorshemustcomplywiththedirectionsorinstructionsthattheECgiveshimorherconcerningtheperformanceofhisorherfunctions;andadecisionofacourtoflawexercisingitsjurisdictionin relationtoaquestiononwhetherheor shehasperformedthe functionsorexercised thepowersinaccordancewiththeConstitutionandthelaw,orwhetherheorsheshouldorshouldnotperformthosefunctionsorexercisethosepowers.Section9oftheElectoralAct,furtherrequiresthattheFEOshallbeanindependentofficewhichmustbeproperlystaffedandequippedtoperformitsdutiesandfunctionsinaccordancewiththeConstitutionandthisAct,withsuchorganisationalstructure,keypositionsandauthorities,asapprovedbytheSoE.TheFEOhasfullautonomytoopenasmanysub-officesasitmayrequire.Section11(4)oftheElectoralAct,hasestablishedfortheveryfirsttimethatthestateandlocalgovernment officialsmust not be appointed as heads of Divisional or district electoral suboffices. The law very clearly requires all state agencies to provide FEO with the necessarysupport to facilitate an election. It makes it very clear that in providing the support, theseagenciesmustrelyontheirownbudgetarysupportratherthantheFEO.

Section13oftheElectoralAct,hasveryclearlyoutlinedtheimpartialityandnon-partisanshipframework. It states that themembersof theEC, theSoE, andall electionofficials, includingemployees,agentsandcontractorsofFEO,mustconducttheirdutiesandfunctionsandexercisetheir powers with utmost impartiality, in compliance with the law, without regard to anypoliticalorpersonalfactors.Section13(2)statesthatthemembersoftheEC,theSoE,andallElectionOfficials, includingemployees,agentsandcontractorsof theFEO,arenotentitledtoundertake any political or campaign activities at any time during the period of theirappointment,employmentorcontractwiththeECortheFEO.Thelegalframeworkspecifically

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requires that ElectionOfficialsmust refrain from any decision thatwould raise a conflict ofinterest.Section15oftheElectoralAct,hasexplicitlyrequiredthatParliamentallocatesufficientfinancialresourcesfromtheStatebudgetforthetimelyandeffectiveperformanceofthefunctionsandpowersoftheFEO.Thebudgetsubmissionmechanismisbasedontheelectioncycleapproachthatiswidelyconsideredasanelectionbestpractice.Section16oftheElectoralAct,empowerstheSoEbygrantinghimcompletecontrolontheprocurementsandusageofthebudgetallocatedtotheFEO.ThelegalframeworkhasallowedtheFEOtoestablishitsownprocurementsystemsuitableforelectionrelatedactivities.Section 17 of the Electoral Act, establishes an electoral complaints handling procedure thatpermitstheelectoralsystemtodealwithelectionrelatedcomplaints.Thisisanotherelectiongood practice as it ensures election related complaints, some of whichmay be technical innature,aredealtwithexpeditiously.Further, itcreatesanappealsmechanismtoensurethatelectionrelatedmattersareresolvedexpeditiouslywithintheElectoralFramework.TheEC’sdecisionsunderthissectionarefinalandnotsubjecttoanyappeal.TheFEOisguaranteeditsindependencepursuanttosection9oftheElectoralAct.Sections10to18oftheElectoralActalsosetupahighlyindependentinstitutionoperationally.Itfurtherhascompletefinancialindependenceandhumanresource,aswellaselectionstaffingindependence.

FEOGovernanceandAdministrationTheFEOisdividedinto5divisionsaselaboratedbelow:

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FEOOrganisationalStructure:

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2015-2019StrategicPlanFollowingthe2014GeneralElection,theFEOembarkedondevelopingitsfirst5-yearStrategicPlan. The FEO established its strategic foundations in terms of its Vision, Mission andOrganisationalCoreValues.

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The2018GeneralElectionOn01October2018,thePresidentofFiji,HisExcellency,(Retired)MajorGeneralJiojiKonroteissuedtheWritforthe2018GeneralElectiontotheChairpersonoftheEC,MrSureshChandraattheGrandPacificHotel.

On02October2018theNominationsprocessbeganandtheFEOstartedtheprocesstofinalisetheVoterList.TheFEOthenprintedanddistributedtheProvisionalVoterListon08October2018andonthefollowingday,itthenpublishedthePollingVenueList.Afterthefinalisationofvoterregistrationforthe2018GeneralElection,theFEOre-openeditsVoterServicesCentreon11October2018tofacilitatereplacementofVoterCards.

Candidate nominationsofficially closedon 15October 2018 at 12 noon and the process forwithdrawals,appealsandobjectionswasopenedthefollowingday.TheChairpersonoftheEC,Mr.SureshChandraissuedtheNoticeofPollandNoticeofPre-Pollon17October2018.Attheconclusionofthewithdrawals,appealsandobjections,atotalof235Candidateswereapprovedtocontestthe2018GeneralElection.

TheNationalCandidatesListBallDrawwasheldon18October2018attheGrandPacificHotelin Suva to assign numbers to individual Candidates. The numbers were drawn for all 235Political Party Candidates and the numbers ranged from508 to 743. The number ‘666’ hadearlierbeenexcludedbytheEC.

Theprintingofballotpaperscommencedon17October2018atStarPrintinginRaiwai,Suva.Atotalof764,850ballotpaperswereprintedforElectionDay.By18October2018theprintingofpostalballotpapersconcludedandtheprintingofVoterInstructionBookletscommencedforallpostal packages. On 20October 2018 the packing of postal packages commenced and thesepackagesweresenttopostalvotersviacourier.

All applications for Postal Voting closed on 24 October 2018. Pre-Poll commenced on05November 2018 and concluded on 10 November 2018. It was carried out in the Central,Northern,WesternandEasternpartsofFiji.45,719voterscast theirvotesduringpre-poll.Atotalof9,180postalvoteswereadmittedtotheCountoutofthe11,227thatweredispatchedbytheFEO.

The2018GeneralElectionwasheldon14November2018where398,780voterscasttheirvote.Due to accessibility issues caused by bad weather, 22 Polling Venues had to have votingadjournedto17November2018andthosewhohadvotedon14November in thosevenueswererequiredbylawtore-votefortheirvotestobecounted.Atotalof4,853votersvotedon17November2018.

The FEO published provisional results on Election Night as counting progressed at PollingStationsandtheofficialandfinalresultswasissuedon18November2018.Theturnoutforthe2018GeneralElectionwas458,532outof637,527registeredvotersmakingup71.9%.Thetotalnumberofinvalidvoteswas4,197outofthe458,532amountingto0.92%.

TheChairpersonoftheEC,Mr.SureshChandrareturnedtheWritforthe2018GeneralElectiontothePresidentofFijiHisExcellency,(Retired)MajorGeneralJiojiKonroteon18November2018.

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KeyDatesforthe2018GeneralElection§ 01October2018-

- WritIssuedtotheElectoralCommission- VoterRegistrationClosed- PoliticalPartyRegistrationClosed- PostalVoteApplicationsopened

§ 02October2018-- NominationofCandidatesopened

§ 08October2018-- DisplayofProvisionalVoterList

§ 13October2018-- DisplayofProvisionalVoterListconcludes

§ 15October2018-- NominationofCandidatesclosedat12noon

§ 16October2018-- WithdrawalofNominationby12noon- ObjectionsandAppealsby4pm

§ 17October2018-- ECfinalisedAppealsandObjectionsdecisions- BallotPaperProductionCommenced

§ 18October2018-- NationalCandidate’sListDraw

§ 24October2018-- PostalVoteApplicationsClosedat5pm

§ 26October2018-- BallotPaperProductioncompleted

§ 28October2018-- FinalVoterListsprinted

§ 05November2018-- Pre-PollVotingCommenced

§ 07November2018-- VerificationofPostalBallotsCommenced

§ 10November2018-- Pre-PollVotingConcluded

§ 14November2018-- ElectionDay- ProvisionalResultsannounced

§ 17November2018-- Pollingat22AdjournedPolling-Venues

§ 18November2018-- FinalNationalResultsTallyhandedovertotheEC- SeatAllocationannounced- ECReturnedWritforthe2018GeneralElectiontothePresident

§ 14December2018-- ReportbytheSoEpursuanttosection109ofElectoralAct.

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ExecutiveDirectorateThe Executive Directorate of the FEO reports directly to the SoE and Deputy Supervisor ofElections[“DSoE”].-ItsprimaryresponsibilityistosupporttheSoEinnon-corebusinessareassuch as International Relations, Secretariat to EC, Internal Audit, Legal Compliance, QualityControl,LegalResearchandSpecialProjects.

During theGeneral Election, the SoE andDSoE bothmanagedExecutiveDirectorate staff tosupervise election processes. Some tasks were directly handled by the SoE as per therequirementsofthelaw.

KarylWinterwasappointedDSoEon04April,2018.

Planningforthe2018GeneralElectionTheFEOinpreparingitselfforthe2018GeneralElectionconducted4majorworkshops.Theobjective of the workshops was to develop election activity timelines from August 2017 toNovember 2018. Each Directorate had to come up with their project activity timelines anddemonstratetheirplanonhowtheyweregoingtoexecutethemduringtheelectionperiod.

WorkshopDates:

• 17July-19July2017(3Days-ElectionOperationPlanningWorkshop)• 23February2018(50DayElectionPlanningWorkshop)• 27February2018(ContentCreationWorkshop)• 06August2018(ElectionReadinessWorkshop)

Throughtheseworkshops,projectownerswereabletoidentifythestakeholderstheyneededtoworkwith,thevariousrequirementstheyneededtocomplywith,theequipmentandvenuesneededincarryingouttheirprojectandthetransportationplanoftheirproject.

AcontentcreationworkshopwasalsoconductedforCommunicationsDepartmenttohelpthemsolelywithcontentwriting,pressreleases,advertising,billboardmessages,socialmedia,radioandtelevisionadvertising.TheseworkshopsenabledtheCommunicationsTeamtodeliverallthepressreleases,advertisementsandsocialmediaengagements.

Thekeyoutcomeoftheplanningworkshopswasthe50-DaysplanofoperationsfortheperiodoncetheElectionDatewasannounced.Thetimelinesgivenbytheprojectownerswerebeingmonitoredandtestedintheformofmockexercises.

TheFEOconducted4majormockexercisestoplanandprepareitself:

• ElectionSimulationExercise:05to16February2018• LogisticsSensitiveMaterialPackingExercise:05to07June2018• CountCentreMockExercise:25Julyto26July2018• ResultsCentreMockExercise:01Julyto04July2018

Mockexerciseswereconductedtotestoutthoseplanswiththevariousstakeholders,vendorsandsuppliers.Indoingso,projectownerswereabletoidentifytheloopholesthatneededtobemended.

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Undergoingtheseworkshopsandmockexercisesallowedstafftostepoutoftheircomfortzoneandgainmoreexpertknowledge,improvetheircommunicationsskills,networkwithothersandrenewtheirconfidenceandmotivation.Severalstaffwhohadnotparticipatedinconductinganelectionweregiventheexposureinthemockscenariostopreparethemselves.

By September 2018 all FEO staff were ready and well equipped with the knowledge andresourcestocarryoutthe2018GeneralElection.Confidencelevelwasveryhighamongstthestaffandeveryonewasreadytodeliverthe2018GeneralElection.

PoliticalPartyManagementTheSoEisalsotheRegistrarofPoliticalParties.TheReviewandComplianceOfficer,Mr.MesakeDawaiisthePoliticalPartyOfficerwhoadministrativelymanagestherequirementsundertherelevantlaws.ThePoliticalPartieslegalframeworkmakesitmandatoryforPoliticalPartiesanditsOfficeHolderstofiledeclarationsofAssets,Liabilities,etc.withtheRegistrarandthereafter,theRegistrarisrequiredtopublishthesedeclarations.TheRegistraralsomaintainstheRegisterofPoliticalParties.

Asat01October2018,eightPoliticalPartieswereregisteredwiththeFEO.Thesewere:

1. FijiFirst2. SocialDemocraticLiberalParty3. NationalFederationParty4. UnityFiji5. HOPE6. FijiLabourParty7. FijiUnitedFreedomParty8. People’sDemocraticParty

PoliticalPartyWorkshopsTheFEOinpromotingGoal8ofitsStrategicPlanisrequiredtoenhanceknowledgeandskillsoftheFEOstaffandstakeholdersthroughtrainingandcapacitybuilding.TheFEOhadorganisedvarioustrainings,demonstrationsandworkshopsforPoliticalPartiesduringtheElectioncycletobuildcapacityandforpartyofficialstobetterunderstandtheelectoralprocesses.

BelowisalistofworkshopsthatwereorganisedforPoliticalParties:

Event Date Venue1. PollingVenueLocatorApplication

Workshop5August2016 FEOConferenceRoom

2. BuildingResourcesinDemocracyGovernanceandElections(BRIDGE)-IntroductiontoElectoralAdministration

9-11November2016

SouthernCrossConferenceRoom

3. BuildingResourcesinDemocracyGovernanceandElections

11-13April2017 SouthernCrossConferenceRoom

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(BRIDGE)-Polling,CountingandResultsModule

4. ElectoralProcessesworkshopforindividualPoliticalParties

OctoberandNovemberof2017

Studio6ConferenceRoom

5. CountMockforPoliticalParties 9May2018 PatelSamajHall,Suva6. ResultsSystemDemoforPolitical

Parties9May2018 FEOConferenceRoom

7. MockCountofBallotPapersforMediaandPoliticalParties

3September2018 FEOConferenceRoom

8. DemoforPollingStationSetup 18September2018

FEOWarehouse

9. Packingofsensitivematerialsmock 26September2018

FEOWarehouse

10. LogisticsWorkshopforPoliticalParties

3October2018 GrandPacificHotel,MatuaConferenceRoom

PoliticalPartyDeclarationsUndersection24and25ofthePoliticalParties(Registration,Conduct,FundingandDisclosures)Act,2013allregisteredPoliticalPartiesandtheirindividualCandidateswererequiredtodeclaretheirassets,liabilitiesandincomeforstipulatedperiods.

CandidateswererequiredtosubmittheirdeclarationswithinsevendaysoftheirNominationwhilstPoliticalPartydeclarationsweredue30daysbeforethedateoftheGeneralElection.TheFEOpublishedtheapprovedformforthesubmissionofthedeclarationsbyCandidates.

TheFEOisrequiredtopublishtheDeclarationsandStatementsaspertherequirementsofthePoliticalParties(Registration,Conduct,FundingandDisclosures)Act,2013.TheDeclarationsbyCandidatesandstatementsofPoliticalPartieswerebothpublishedintheFijiSunNewspaperonTuesday30October2018.

ThePeople’sDemocraticPartywastheonlyPoliticalPartythatdidnotsubmittheirstatementof assets and liabilitieswhich resulted in their de-registration on31October 2018 for non-compliancewiththelaw.

PollingAgentAccreditationAccordingtosection45oftheElectoralAct,PoliticalPartiesandIndependentCandidatesareallowedtoappointonepollingagenttobepresentatanyonetimeperPollingStation.Pollingagentswererequiredtoproduceacompleted“PollingAgentAppointmentForm”atthepollingstationorobservationareatheywereappointedto.

ThePollingAgentAppointmentFormwasprovidedinsoftcopyversiontoallregisteredPoliticalPartieswhothenhadtheresponsibilityofprintingtheformontotheirletterheadandprovidingacopyofthesametoanypollingagentthatwasappointedbythem.

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ThePoliticalPartieswerealsoprovidedwithaCodeofConductforpollingagents,andpollingagentswereexpectedtocomplywithitwhilstperformingtheirduties.

Inaddition,aPollingAgent’sHandbookwasdesignedanddistributedbyFEOtoPoliticalPartieson27Julyand28July2017.

The2018GeneralElectionalsosawpollingagentsbeingauthorisedtomakeobservationsatvariousobservationareasapprovedbytheSoE.AnitinerarywasprovidedtoallPoliticalPartiespertainingtodifferentelectoraleventsthatallowedpollingagentaccess.Someoftheseeventsorobservationareasincluded:

1. BallotPaperProduction;2. PackingofsensitivematerialforPollingDayandPre-poll;3. PackingofPostalPackages;4. VerificationofPostalBallots;5. Hubs;6. AreaOffices;7. NationalResultsCentre;and8. NationalCountCentre.

NominationofCandidatesThe nominations process is governed by section 26 of the Electoral Act and the eligibilityrequirementsareoutlinedinsection56oftheConstitution.

The Writ for the 2018 General Election had specified that the nominations process wouldcommenceon02October2018andcloseat12pmon15October2018.Duringtheperiodofnominations,theFEOreceivednominationsfrom6registeredpoliticalparties.

AllnominatingPoliticalPartieswererequiredtosubmittheirnominationsintheapprovedformandaccompaniedwithadepositof$1,000perCandidate.TheywerealsorequiredtosubmitonerecentpassportsizephotoaswellasadigitalcopyinJPEGorPNGformatof300ppi.

Afterreceivingthecompletednomination forms, thedetailsofeachCandidatewere verifiedwith the Chief Registrar’s Office, Crime Records Office, Department of Immigration and theOfficialReceiver’sOfficebeforeacceptingtheCandidate’sNomination.

SummaryofNominationFormsReceivedandProcessed:

PoliticalParty No.Received No.Rejected No.ApprovedFijiFirst 51 1(1replaced) 51SODELPA 51 1(1replaced) 51NFP 51 1(1replaced) 51FLP 25 3(3replaced) 25UnityFiji 31 3(1appealed) 29HOPE 28 - 28Total 237 9(7replaced) 235

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During the period of nominations, four Political Parties submitted their applications on thesecondweekbetween8and12ofOctober2018.Onthelastdayofnominations,twoPoliticalParties submitted their applications. Political Parties with rejections submitted theirreplacementofCandidates.

CandidateStatisticsbyGenderandAgeGroup

Gender 18-20

21-30 31–40 41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

GrandTotal

Female

6 10 16 14 7 3 56Male 1 10 20 36 70 40 2 179GrandTotal 1 16 30 52 84 47 5 235

CandidateStatsbyPartybyGender&AgeGroup

Party AgeCohort GrandTotal18-

2021-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

FijiLabourParty 1 8 6 5 3 2 25Female

1 2 2

1 6

Male

1 7 4 3 3 1 19FijiFirst 2 7 13 17 12

51

Female

2 2 2 3 1

10Male

5 11 14 11

41

HOPE 1 6 6 6 7 2

28Female

3 4 5 4 2

18

Male 1 3 2 1 3

10NationalFederationParty

6 4 12 21 8

51

Female

1 2 3 3 1

10Male

5 2 9 18 7

41

SODELPA

3 9 19 17 3 51Female

2 1 2 2 7

Male

3 7 18 15 1 44UNITYFIJI

1 2 6 15 5

29

Female

1 2 1 1

5Male

1 1 4 14 4

24

GrandTotal 1 16 30 52 84 47 5 235

BallotPaperProductionandManagementTheprintingofBallotPaperswastenderedtoacommercialprinterandthesuccessfultendererorganisedwiththeFEOmanagementtoinstilthreesecurityfeaturesinalltheBallotPapers.TherewerenoreportsoftamperingorattemptedfraudwithBallotPapers.

BallotPaperprintingwasdoneoverninedaysandatotalof764,850BallotPaperswereprinted.20,000BallotPapersweremachinefoldedforuseinPostalVotingwhilsttheremaining744,850

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wereboundintobooksof50aftereachBallotPaperstubwasnumbered.Eachbookwasalsoseriallynumberedfortracking.

Anadditional8,900BallotPaperswereprintedon15November2018forthe22pollingvenueswherepollingwasadjournedduetoheavyrainandflooding.TheseBallotPaperswereboundinto178books.

TheFijiPoliceForcewaspresentattheprintingfactoryduringtheprintingandalsoprovidedsecurityforthetransferofBallotPapers.PollingagentsandinternationalobserversweregivenatouroftheprintingprocessandtheyalsofollowedtheBallotPapertransfers.

ThepollingagentsandinternationalobserversweregivenadesignatedareainthePrinterytoobservetheproductionofBallotPapers.

SummaryofBallotPapersprintedfor2018GeneralElection

Description NumbersRegisteredVoters 637,527PollingStations 2173PostalBallotPapers 20,000Pre-PollBallotPapers 92,400ElectionDayBallotPapers 652,450ElectionDay(AdjournedVenues) 8,900PrintingDuration 9Days

NationalCandidatesListDrawNumbersforCandidatesfortheNationalCandidatesListweredrawnon18October2018attheGrandPacificHotel.Thisvenuewascentralaswellassufficientlylargeenoughtocaterfortheexpected number of guests. Pursuant to section 36 of the Electoral Act, it was done in thepresenceof thepublic includingthemedia, internationalobserversandpoliticalparties.ThedrawwasalsobroadcastliveonbothFBCandFijiOnetelevisionandonsocialmedia.

On15May2018,theECconductedabarreldrawonlivetelevisionandapproved508asthefirstnumberontheballotpaperforthe2018GeneralElection.235whitetabletennisballs(equaltothenumberofCandidateswhosenominationswereaccepted)werenumberedfrom508to743andplacedinsideaspeciallydesignedbarrel.Thenumber‘666’hadbeenexcludedbytheECfromtheseries.

ThenamesofCandidateswereannouncedinalphabeticalorderwiththelastnameappearingbeforethefirstnameasrequiredinsection36oftheElectoralAct.TheSoEcalledoutthenumberdrawnforthatannouncedCandidatename.TheentireprocesswasrepeateduntilthenumbershadbeenallocatedtoeveryCandidate.

TheNationalCandidatesListshowedtheCandidate’snumber,theirnameandtheirphotograph.The National Candidates List was prepared and published in the Gazette and the dailynewspapers the followingday, aswell asbroadcaston radioandsocialmedia.Copiesof theNational Candidates List were provided to the EC, registered Political Parties and theirCandidatesaswellascopiesdisplayedatallFEOsub-officesforpublicviewing.

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TheVoterInstructionBookletcontainedtheNationalCandidateListandwaswidelydistributedtoallthevoterspriortoelectiondayaswellashandedtoeveryvoterastheyenteredthepollingstationtovote.

InternationalRelationsElectoralAssistanceReceivedTheFEOhadreceivedkeyelectionmaterialsasin-kindassistancefromNewZealandandIndia(votingscreensand indelible inkrespectively)aswellas funding fromIndiatopurchasekeyservices(vehicles)forthesuccessfulconductofthe2018GeneralElection.

Country AssistanceReceivedNewZealand 3003boxesofCardboardVotingScreenswerereceivedinJanuary,2018India FundingofFJD$291,830receivedbytheIndianHighCommissionto

purchaseatotaloffive(5)Mahindravehiclesforuseinthe2018GeneralElection.ThefundingwasreceivedbetweenJune,2018toJuly,2018.

India 60cartonscontaining6,000boxesofindelibleinkwerereceivedinApril,2018

TechnicalAdvisorsAspertheStrategicPlan(Goal3,Objective1),theFEOhadengagedlong-termandshort-termTechnicalAdvisorsfromAustralia,NewZealand,KoreaandBelgiumthatwerebasedwiththedifferentDirectoratestoprovidetimelyadviceandsharetheirknowledgeandexpertisewiththeFEOstaff. TheTechnicalAdvisorshelpedbuildcapacityof theFEOstaff throughprojectplanningandimplementation.

Australia andNewZealandalsoprovidedTechnicalAdvisors forsupportduring theElectionperiod. TheseTechnicalAdvisorswerebasedwithkeydepartmentsaswellastheDivisionalOffices.NewZealand’sbilateralsupportincludedtoppingupthesalaryfortheDSoE.

FurtherdeploymentdetailsoftheTechnicalAdvisorsareillustratedinthetablebelow:

Country Non-Election ElectionNumberofElectoralAdvisors

BasedwithNumberofElectoralAdvisors

Basedwith

NewZealand 2311

TrainingOperationsCommunicationsElectionManagementProject

211

TrainingOperationsInternationalRelations

Australia (Long-term)1(Short-term)2

1

OperationsOperationsElectoralCommission

114

OperationsECDivisionalOffices

Korea 1 Logistics N/A

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InternationalElectionObservationMissionsAttendedbytheFEOAfterthesuccessfulcompletionofthe2014GeneralElection,theFEOwasinvitedtoparticipateinElectionObservationMissionsintheregion.ThiswasalsoacapacitybuildingopportunityfortheFEOasSeniorManagement thatparticipated in theseMissionsgotexposure todifferentcontextsandwereaccompaniedbyregionalandinternationalelectoralexperts,withwhomtheycould network and share experiences. Through this, the FEO has also built strong Pacificnetworkstoprovidesupportthroughsharingofelectoralresourcematerials(StrategicPlanGoal3,Objective2).

Timeline Country Mission Participation

DetailsMay,2015 Bougainville PacificIslandsForum

ObserverMissiontoBougainville

AttendedbytheSoEastheHeadofMission

January,2016 Vanuatu MSGObservertoVanuatuSnapElection

AttendedbytheSoE

June-July,2017 PapuaNewGuinea MSGObserverGroupMissiontoPNGGeneralElections

AttendedbytheIndustrialElectionsCoordinator

November,2017

Tonga • CommonwealthObserverMissiontoTongaGeneralElections

• PIFElectionObservationMission

AttendedbytheSoEandDirectorOperations

InternationalEventsHostedbytheFEOOvertime,theFEOhadbuiltenoughcapacityandwasreadyasaregionalleadertoventureintohostingkeyregionalandinternationalelectoralevents.In2018,theFEOhostedtwosucheventsandshowcasedFijiasacapablehosttoplananddeliverkeyelectoralevents.

HostingtheseelectoraleventsalsobuiltthecapacityoftheFEOtodeliveranElectionVisitorProgrammeforthe2018GeneralElection.

Timeline Event DetailsMarch,2018 SixthA-WEB

ExecutiveBoardMeeting

AttendedbydelegatesrepresentingRomania,DominicanRepublic,BurkinaFaso,Malawi,Taiwan,Bangladesh,Croatia,Paraguay,Guinea,Uzbekistan,ElSalvador,Kenya,andFiji,aswellasKosovoastheOversightandAuditCommitteeandtheUSA,SouthAfricaandKoreaasObservers.

September,2018 PIANZEAAdvisoryGroupMeeting

AttendedbythePAGAdvisoryGrouprepresentativesfromMelanesia(Fiji),Micronesia(Kiribati),andPolynesia(Tuvalu)aswellasrepresentativesofthePIANZEASecretariatfromtheAustralianElectoralCommission

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MembershipandAffiliationsSince2014,theFEOhasaffiliatedwithanumberofkeyregionalandglobalelectoralagenciestobuilditscapacityandshareskills,knowledgeandresourcesthroughtheElectoralNetwork.

Organisation MembershipStatusA-WEB ExecutiveBoardMembersinceSeptember,

2017PIANZEANetwork AdvisoryGroupMemberCommonwealthElectoralNetwork MemberofExecutiveCommitteeAssociationofAsianElectionAuthorities Member

MediaAccreditationMediaorganisationsandpersonnelwererequiredtobeaccreditedtobeabletocoverthe2018General Election. The “2018 Media Accreditation Form” was developed for this. Prior toaccreditation, media organisations and freelancers were required to be registered with theMediaIndustryDevelopmentAuthority[“MIDA”],thisbeingspecifictotheGeneralElection.ACodeofConductwasdevelopedforthemediaaswell.

The FEO produced aMedia Handbook thatwas launched on 18 January 2018 at theMediaTraining.TheMediaTrainingforthe2018GeneralElectionwasco-fundedbyMIDAandtheFEOandconductedbytrainersfromInternationalFoundationsforElectoralSystems[“IFES”].Thethreedaystrainingfor40mediapersonnelfromFijitookplaceattheHolidayInninSuvaandcoveredanarrayoftopicsincludingthehostingofelectiondebates,ElectionDaycoverageandpoliticalreporting.

TheFEOaccredited371mediapersonnelrepresenting19mediaagencieswhichincludedeightinternational media. The accredited media personnel were handed information packages,containinghandbooksandothermaterialspublishedbytheFEO.

TheFEOworkedcloselywithlocalmediatodevelopattractiveandinnovativeelectioncoveragetechniques to ensure that the general public had access to election information in moreconvenientmodes.

ObserverAccreditationPursuanttosection119oftheElectoralAct,theMinisterResponsibleforElectionsmayappointorinviteanypersonororganisationtoobserveanyelectionandthesepersonsororganisationsarethenaccreditedbytheFEO.

For the 2018 General Election, the Minister Responsible for Elections approved theMultinationalObserverGroup [“MOG”]whichwas co-lead byAustralia, India and IndonesiaundertheTermsofReference[“TOR”]signedbyallparties.

This resulted in FEO accrediting 77 International Observers. The Observers were from theUnitedStatesofAmerica,Canada,France,Japan,NewZealand,KoreaandUnitedKingdom.TheMelanesianSpearheadGroupbroughtObserversfromBougainville,NewCaledonia,PapuaNewGuinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu as well as the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat who

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brought in Observers from Rwanda, Tonga, French Polynesia and Federated States ofMicronesia.

TheFEOhadregularengagementswiththeMOGtoensurethatallinformationnecessaryfortheMOGtocarryoutitsresponsibilitiesundertheTORwasavailabletoitinanopenandtransparentmanner.InordertoensurethattheMOGwasawareoftheprocessesthatweretotakeplaceduringtheperiod,theFEOpreparedacomprehensiveitineraryofeventswithdatesandtimestoindicatewhenandwheretheMOGmayobservethevariousevents.

TheMOGwasfreetoobserveanypartoftheprocessandbelowisalistofengagementsthatitrecorded with the FEO aside from its general observation work. The following is a non-exhaustivelistofengagementsthattheFEOrecordedwiththeMOG2018.

ListofEngagementsRecordedbyMOG:

Date Engagement20/09/2018 VisitedVoterServicesCentreinSuvatoobservetheregistrationofvoters

process.02/10/2018 MediabriefingontheFEOoperationalpreparationforthe2018General

Election.03/10/2018 AttendedLogisticsWorkshopforPoliticalParties.05/10/2018 BriefingonRegistrationProcess.06/10/2018 2014MOGReportbriefingwithFEOandEC.08/10/2018 PostalPre-PackingatRatuSukunaHouse.10/10/2018–12/10/2018

VisittoPre-PollareasinKorovou,Navua,RakirakiandLautokatoobservetheDisplayofVoterList

12/10/2018 AwarenessbriefingwithFEOandEC.15/10/2018 LegalbriefingwithFEO.17/10/2018 BriefingonprintingoffirstBallotPaper.18/10/2018 NationalCandidatesListDraw.

BriefingonBallotPaperProduction.19/10/2018 TransportationofPostalBallotPaperstoFEOWarehouse.20/10/2018 BriefingonPackingofPostalPackage.22/10/2018 BriefingonNominations,Withdrawal,Objections,Appeals,PostalandPre-

PollProcesses.23/10/18–03/11/2018

ObservedPresidingOfficer/AssistantPresidingOfficerTraininginPeninsula,KshatriyaHall,Lautoka,Ba,Sigatoka,Levuka,NausoriandSavusavu.

24/10/2018 BriefingofObserversbyEContheirroleandresponsibilities.26/10/2018 TransportationofBallotPapersfromStarPrinterytoFEOWarehouse.28/10/2018 ObservedintheMamanucasandYasawaareaforVIBDistributionandKYE

3.29/10/2018 ObservedinBauandFijiCorrectionsServicesforVIBDistributionandKYE3.

PackingofPre-Pollmaterials.Inspectionofoffcutsandshreddedballotpapers.BriefingofObserversonElectionDayvotingprocessandCountprocess.Movementof1stPre-PollcontainertotheNorthernDivision.

30/10/2018 Observedpackingofpre-pollmaterials.ObservedinVunidawaforVIBDistributionandKYE3.

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31/10/2018 PackingofElectionDaymaterialsattheFEOWarehouse.ObservedinNamosi,TamavuaandNasinuareaforVoterInstructionBookDistributionandKYE3.

01/11/2018 ObservedCountDemonstration.

ListofEngagementsRecordedbyMOGcontinued:

Date Engagement05/11/2018–09/11/2018

ObservedPre-PollinLau,Yasawa,Nailega,FijiCorrectionsServices,NavalBase,RFMFQEB,Beqa,Taveunitonameafew.

07/11/2018 VerificationofPostalBallots.ObservedthetransportofelectionmaterialsfromFEOWarehousetoNavalBase.ObservedRMIStraining.

11/11/2018 DebriefingonPre-Pollmatters.12/11/2018 BriefingofObserversatHolidayInn.13/11/2018 ECmeetingwithCoLeadstodiscussoncomplaintsprocessandallocationof

seats.FEOmeetingwithCoLeadstodiscussonpreparationleadinguptothe2018GeneralElection.

14/11/2018 FEOorganizedamediaeventfortheobservationofAustralianCoLeadatSuvaGrammarSchool.ObservedElectionDaythroughoutthefourDivisions.

16/11/2018 ObservedpackingofsensitivematerialsforallPollingVenuesthatwerepostponedforElection.

17/11/2018 Observedvotingatadjounedpollingvenues.18/11/2018 ObservedhandingoverofNationalResultsTallytoECattheMediaCentre.21/11/2018 DebriefonElectionDaymatters. Tofacilitatetheaccreditationprocess,specificObserverBadgeswerecreatedforeaseofaccesstoPollingStations,NationalCountCentre,NationalResultsCentre,MediaCentreandvenueswhereelectoralprocesseswereconducted.TheFEOalsoauthorisedMOGSupportstafftoenterPollingVenuessoastoprovidelogisticalsupport.

AccreditationunderSection115oftheElectoralAct2014TheActmandatedallCivilSocietyOrganisations[“CSO”]toseekapprovalfromtheECorFEOfor voter awareness and education programs that they wished to conduct following theannouncementoftheelectiondate.

On17May2018theECapprovedtheGuideline,ApplicationForm,AppealprocessandAppealForm under section 115. Following this approval from EC, the SoE hosted the CSO’s to aninformationsessionon24May2018highlightingtothemtheprocessundersection115.ThisprocesswasalsopublishedontheFEOwebsite.

CSO’swereinformedtocompleteandsubmittheApplicationFormtogetherwithanycontent,material or prop and particulars of the Activity in sufficient quantity. Having received the

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application,theFEOwouldmakethenecessarycompliance,accuracyandconsistencychecks.TheFEOensuredthatifanymatterofinconsistencyorinaccuracywithElectionProcedurewasdiscovered, the relevant organisation was promptly contacted to remedy the error beforeapprovalwasgiven.

Decisionsregardingtheapplicationweremadewithin24hoursofreceiptoftheapplicationandanapplicantwhohadappliedforapprovalandwhoseapplicationwasnotapprovedbytheSoEwasgiventhechancetoappealtotheECbycompletingtheAppealsFormandlodgingitwithin24hoursofreceiptofrejectionoftheApplicationdecisionbytheSoE.TheECwouldthendecidetheAppealwithinthreedaysofreceiptoftheapplicationforAppeal.

Forthe2018GeneralElectiontheinformationbelowhighlightsthenumberofapplicationsthatwerereceived,approvedandorrejectedbytheFEO.Applicationsreceived Applicationsapproved Applicationsrejected

2 2 0On 17October 2018, FEO received an application from the FijiWomen’s RightsMovement,promotinggenderequalityandwomen’sparticipationinthe2018GeneralElection.Itfocusedonsocialmediaandpressreleasesonwomen’sengagementinthedemocratizationprocess.TheFEOvetted theapplicationanddiscovered some inconsistencieswhichwere rectifiedby theApplicant.Thiswasthenapprovedon23October2018.

Further,on09November2018,theFEOreceivedanapplicationfromInternationalIDEAwhointendedtosendamessageofpeacetotheGeneralPublicontelevisionandbothnewspapersduringtheblack-outperiod.Thiswasinitiallyapprovedon10November2018buttheApplicantrequestedtoamendtheirmessageagain.Theamendedmessagewassubmittedon12November2018andlaterapproved13November2018.

TheFEOdidnotrejectanyapplicationundersection115.

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CorporateServicesDirectorateTheCorporateServicesDirectorateofFEOisheadedbyMr.SanjeshwarRamandconsistsofthefollowing sections led by the Director Corporate Services and assisted by the five Heads ofDepartment:

• HumanResources;• FijianElectoralEducationCentre;• ProcurementandAssetManagement;• FinanceandAdministration;and• InformationTechnology.

The Corporate Division’s role is to facilitate the work of other operational departments byproviding the necessary support either in terms of staffing, training, procurement andtechnologyorpolicyadvice.Alsotoensuretheimplementationofcorporategovernancewithinthelegalframework,torecruitandretainskilledstaff,toestablishmodernICTsystemsfortheFEO, ensure sustainable management of resources and to exercise prudent financialmanagement.

CorporateServicesDirectorateOrganisationStructure

HumanResourcesTheHumanResourcesDepartmentismanagedbyMs.AfreenaHussein.Thecorefunctionsofthedepartmentareasfollows:

• Meritbasedrecruitmentandselectionfocussedonselectinghighperforming,honestemployeeswithhighstandardsofintegrity;

• Providingequalemploymentopportunity;• Ensuringpositionbasedremunerationandbenefits;• Applyingtransparencyandaccountabilityindecisionmaking;and• Ensuringfairnessandequityinallstaffingdecisions.

ThestaffingstructurewasdesignedonthebasisthatcertainprojectsfortheGeneralElectionwouldrequirecompletionwellbeforethedateoftheGeneralElectionandthismeantthatsome

DirectorCorporateServices

ManagerProcurementand

AssetManagement

ManagerICT ManagerFinance&Administration

ManagerHumanResources

ManagerFijianElectoralEducationCentre(FEEC)

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staffwouldhaveshorttermcontractswhileothersmayoperationallybeneededonlongtermcontracts.TherecruitmentofallFEOstaffwasbasedonmerit.

OrganisationStructureforHumanResourcesDepartment:

Recruitment&SelectionUnitTheRecruitmentandSelectionUnitisledbyKavitaKumar.ThissectionoftheHRdepartmentmanagestherecruitmentandselectionofcorestaffandprojectbasedstaff.

TheExolvoSelfService[“ESS”]systemwhichislinkedwithFinancePayGlobalsystemisusedtoinputstaffpayrolldetailsandmanagestaffleaveentitlement.Thesystemalsoallowsforprintingofindividualstaffpayslips.

Therewere76ongoingpositions[CoreStaff]thatrangedfromthreetofiveyearsandtherewere 1,618 short term positions ranging from two weeks to 18 months. The table on thefollowingpagesummarisesthe2017to2018recruitment:

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ElectionOfficialsTheElectionOfficials[“EO”]unitisledbyMr.AbhiyendraPratap.ThisunitisresponsiblefortherecruitmentandselectionofEOs for the2018GeneralElection.ACommittee ledbyDirectorCorporateServiceswasformedtooverseethelogisticsforthe2017to2018RecruitmentDrive.

TheRecruitmentAssistants[“RA”]wererecruitedandtrainedtoconductarecruitmentdrivethroughoutFiji.UponthecompletionoftheRecruitmentDrive,2RA’sperdivisionwereoffereda 1 year contract. These RA’s were responsible for all administrative work related to EOrecruitmentandcontracting.

InensuringconsistentdeliveryofmessageaRAmanualwasdevelopedwhichoutlinedtherolesandresponsibilitiesoftheRAattheRecruitmentCentre,updatingofEOdetailsandcontracting.Thismanualwasdevelopedby theTechnicalAdvisor,Ms. ShayneMathieson, in consultationwith Manager Human Resources, Manager Fijian Electoral Education Centre and ManagerElectionsManagementInformationSystem.SoEthenendorsedthismanual.

TheEOscontractwasdevelopedbyTechnicalAdvisor,Ms.ShayneMathieson,inconsultationwiththeHumanResourceteamandthecontractswerevettedbytheSolicitorGeneral’sOffice.

TheCommunicationsDepartment,inliaisonwithEOsRecruitmentUnit,developedleafletsandbrochures for prospective staff to read and familiarise themselves with the terms of theengagement.

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Inadditiontothesematerials,streetbanners,posters,TVandcommercialadvertisementsweredevelopedtocreateawarenesstothegeneralpublic.

Furthermore, recruitment schedules were advertised in the daily newspapers, social media(FEO’s Facebook page) and websites i.e. www.fijielects2018.org.fj/eofficials andwww.elections.org.fj.

TheElectionOfficialsRecruitmentSystemThe Election Officials Recruitment System [“EORS”] was developed under the 2015 – 2019StrategicPlanaspartoftheElectionManagementSystem[“EMS”].TheEORSwasimplementedtoconductcomputerbasedrecruitmentdrivefortheEO.

TheEORSallowedtheFEOtoconductdirectrecruitmentofEOsthrougha,firsteverinFiji,masscomputerbasedapplicationprogram.TheApplicantswererequiredtocomplete20multiplechoicequestions(theaptitudetest)inordertoassisttheFEOtoranktheApplicantsbytheirscoreatthePollingStationstheyhadappliedto.

EachApplicantcompletedtheonline“ApplicationandDeclarationForm”andprovidedtheFEOwiththeirbankdetails,Tax IdentificationNumberandFijiNationalProvidentFundnumber.EachApplicantwasprovidedwithauniquereferencenumbertoassistwithfurtherenquiries.TheEORSwasdesignedtolimitstafftoselectingaPollingPlacewithintheFEOadministrativearea. This meant that staff would not incur unnecessary travel expenses and ensured thatindividualsworkedinPollingVenueswithintheirlocalities.

TherecruitmentdriveforElectionOfficialsforthe2018GeneralElectioncommencedon28July2017.Recruitmentwasconductedatvariouslocationsthroughoutthecountry.TheFEOensuredthatrecruitmentwasalsodoneinphasestoallowtheRecruitmentteamtoreconcileandconfirmall information it received before thenextphasewasdone.Agapanalysiswasalsodone toidentifytheareaswhichwerenotmeetingtheexpectedturnoutofapplicants.

TheFEOcarriedoutextensiveawarenessprogramstoensure itwasable toattract asmanyinterested persons as possible. The advertisements for the recruitment drives for EOswerepublished in the daily newspapers, broadcast on the radio and on social media. The FEOdesigned the remuneration package thatwas reasonable and at the same time sufficient toattractqualityapplicants.

Applications were open to anyone who was a registered voter, including those already inemployment elsewhere, provided their employer permitted them to undertake secondaryemployment.TheFEOisanequalopportunityemployer.

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TheFEOreceivedatotalof18,555applicationsfromFijianstoworkaseitherPresidingOfficer,AssistantPresidingOfficer,VenueCoordinatororPollingDayWorker.Thebreakdownontherecruitmentdriveisasfollows:

RecruitmentPhase Applicants

Phase1-28July2017-23September2017 13,247

TeachersRecruitmentDrive 537

ConsolidatedPhase2(round1+round2) 3,715

ReservePool 1,056

TotalApplicants 18,555

StaffingFormulaforthe2018GeneralElectionThefollowingstaffingformulaforthe2018GeneralElectionwasapprovedbytheSoE:

NumberofVotersinaPollingStation Staffing≥300 5EOs≥400 6EOs≥500 7EOs NumberofPSperPV NumberofVenueQueControllers2-3PS 1VQC4-5PS 2VQC6-7PS 3VQC8-9PS 4VQC10-11PS 5VQC

EOsalarieswereequatedtogeneralannualFEOsalarybaselinestoensurethatthepaywasinlinewith theworkload aswell as theKey Performance Indicatorsof the positions. TheFEOequatedthenumberofhoursofworknecessaryfortheperformanceofthedutiesandalsobuiltincontingenciestofacilitateanyunforeseendelaysorextensions.Thelegaldeductionsfromthepaypackagewasalsoeffected.

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SalariesPaidtoEOs:

Position PayPresidingOfficer $410.00AssistantPresidingOfficer $320.00PollingDayWorker $180.00VenueQueueController $166.00

NumberofEOsEmployedbyFEOforthe2018GeneralElection:

Position ElectionDay Pre-PollMale Female Male Female

PresidingOfficer 486 1,076 47 45AssistantPresidingOfficer 373 1,146 43 49PollingDayWorker 1,779 4,340 128 139VenueQueueController 151 269 NA NATotal 9,620 451

Re-Poll17November2018

Designation Female Male TotalPO 20 6 26APO 19 7 26PDW 71 30 101VQC 1 1 2Total 111 44 155

OnElectionDay, 1076PresidingOfficersoutof the 1562were female. The leadership of allPollingVenuesonElectionDayhad72.1%females,whilst66.3%oftheElectionDaystaffwasfemale.TheFEOensuredthatPre-Pollteamsgenerallyhadamixtureintermsofgender.ThetotalnumberofstaffthatworkedasEOsforthe2018GeneralElectionwas10,071.

TheEORSallowedtheFEOtopayEOssignificantlyquickerthan2014.Asat29November2018,the FEO had effected bank payments to all but 135 staff as this was because the staff hadprovidedinaccurateinformation.

TheFijianElectoralEducationCentreTheFijianElectoralEducationCentre[“FEEC”]isthetrainingandcapacitybuildingarmoftheFEO.TheFEECwasdirectlyresponsibleforthefollowing:

• DesigningandimplementingaTrainingCalendar;• DesigningandconductingaTraintheTrainerprogramforupto80Trainers;• DesigningandimplementingtrainingprogramsforvariousEOs;and• ConductingfieldtestsforEOstorankthemforHumanResourcessection.

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TrainingswereconductedbyfieldtrainerswhohadbeenshortlistedandselectedinMay2017throughaTrainingofTrainers[“ToTs”]workshopthatwasconductedforoneweek.TheToTswasconductedinthree,one-weeklongtrainingsessionsforthreedifferentbatchesandspecialassessmentcriteriawereusedtofinalise56suitabletrainerswithexceptionaldeliveryskills.

TheNewZealandElectoralCommission[“NZEC”]supportedtheFEECbyprovidingTechnicalAdvisors to facilitate the designing of training curriculum aswell as develop trainer guides.TechnicalAdvisorsalsohelpedtotrainthetrainers,facilitatetheassessmentoftheparticipantstoidentifythebest56trainersandthereafterattendedmajorityofthetrainingsconductedbythe trainers to conduct Quality Assurance of the training. The assistance in this area -isacknowledgedandgreatlyappreciated.

TheFEOstructuredthetrainingtoensurethattheentiresetofEOsreceivethesametrainingandassuchdidnotusethe‘cascademethod’oftraining.AlltrainerslearnttodelivertrainingsfromTrainerGuidesandthisensuredthatallstaffwhocompletedtheirtrainingweregiventhesameconsistenttrainingaswellasensuringthattheywereexaminedonafairscale.Theservicesthat theFEOprovidesremainsconsistent inanypartof thecountrythroughtheuseofsuchmethods. To assess training effectiveness, Polling DayWorkers were asked to complete an“EvaluationForm”oftheirtrainingsession.

AlltrainingsessionsinvolvedthefollowinginordertoequipEOswiththerelevantknowledge:

• Grouppresentations;• Hands-onuseofvotingequipment;• Writtentests(openbooktest);• Roleplaying(scenariobased);• Readingfromhand-outs/manualsections;• Videoon2018electoralprocesses;• Comprehensivetrainingmanuals;and• Evaluationoftrainingsessions.

TrainingandScreeningCriteriaStaffwhopassedtheComputerBasedTest[“CBT”]intheEORSwereinvitedfortraining.AllsuchApplicantswererequiredtoattendamandatoryhalf-daytrainingandsitatestattheendofthetraining.Thisincludedawrittentest(openbook)andtrainerassessment.Theresultsofthistestwere thenconveyed to theHumanResource team that thenapplied the following criteria toallocateApplicantstomorespecialisedtraining:

• ElectionOfficialstrainingmusthavemorethan40%CBTandtrainingassessment;• PresidingOfficertrainingmusthavemorethan80%CBTandtrainingassessment;

and• Hub Leaders must have 85% and above in CBT and have attended a mandatory

PresidingOfficertraining.

AssistantPresidingOfficersalsoattendedthePresidingOfficertrainingbutwereappointedasAssistantsfollowingthemeritrankings.

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PollingDayWorkersEOstrainingcommencedon29August2017andwascompletedon24June2018. Atotalof14,508PollingDayWorkersweretrainedin777half-daysessions.EveryapplicantwhoappliedwasshortlistedforPollingDayWorkerPositions.Iftheapplicantperformedwellinthistrainingandassessment,thentheywouldbeeligibleforPresidingOfficerorotherroles.

TheFEECconductedanotherrefresherof5148PollingDayWorkersfrom10July2018to11August 2018. This training served as a refresher to cover all the updated 2018 electoralprocesses which Polling Day Workers had to be equipped with. At this training, the FEECdistributedthePollingDayWorkersManualforthosethathadsignedtheircontracts.Alowernumber attended this training and this triggered the Human Resource team to activate itscontingencyplansandusestafffromthereservepool.

AnothertwoweeksandtwodaysofEOtrainingwasconductedusingtheEORefresherGuide,butincludinganewwrittentestandassessment.ThistrainingleftamplePollingDayWorkersasreservesincaseassignedonescontinuedtowithdraw.The3231trainedservedasthereservepool.TheWesternDivisionhad fewer confirmedstaff andassuch itwas focussedonby theHumanResourceteam.

PresidingOfficerTrainingPresidingOfficersandAssistantPresidingOfficersweretrainedfrom08February2018to28April 2018. The training for Presiding Officers was a full day session and was morecomprehensivetoensurethatthosewhowereeventuallymadein-chargeofPollingStationshadsufficientskillsinmanagementandadministrationaswellasgoodleadership.Atotalof244fulldaysessionswererunandFEECtrained4762applicants.

TheFEECconductedRefreshertrainingforPresidingOfficersandAssistantPresidingOfficerswho signed their contracts. The Refresher training was mandatory and took place from 22Octoberto11November.Atotalof3240PresidingOfficersattendedthisfulldaytrainingtogetfamiliarisedwith all current and updated processes to be implemented in the2018 GeneralElection.

TheFEECnotedthatthelevelofelectoralinterestdemonstratedbycertainPresidingOfficerswas remarkable. Thiswas evident though their responses to questions, group activities andscenariobasedsituationsduringthetraining.PresidingOfficertrainingwasafulldaytrainingfocusingonelectionactivitiessuchassettingupofPollingStations,voting,reconciliationandcounting.

Pre-PollTrainingEOs assigned for Pre-Poll votingwent through twophases of training, Pre-Poll andPre-PollRefreshertraining.Pre-Polltrainingwasconductedfrom21Augustto02September2018.

All trainees were trained to follow and complete the Pre-Poll Journal which was the coredocumentthatwasusedinPre-Poll.Thisjournalcontainedvitalinformationandinstructionssuch as deployment instructions, activity logs, attendance sheets and Pre-Poll MaterialsExchangeSiteinformationthatassistedPresidingOfficersintheirrole.Followingthistraining,

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amandatoryPre-PollRefreshertrainingwasheld.TheonedayPre-PollRefreshertrainingwasconductedoveraperiodofsixdays.ThistrainingprovidedaplatformtoallPresidingOfficerstoonceagaingetacquaintedwiththePre-PollJournalandallotherresourcesforPre-Pollvoting.

AnotheremphasisofthistrainingwastakingthetraineesthroughassemblinganddisassemblingofthetentsthatwouldbeusedtoconstructPollingVenuesandcheckingthecontentsofthePre-PollbackpacksforPre-Poll.

HubLeaderTrainingTheFEOimplementedanewoperationsmanagementpositionthatformedaconduitbetweenthe26AreaOfficersandthe1526PresidingOfficersonElectionDay.Atotalof98‘HubLeaders’weretrainedtomanagefromaslittleas25PollingStationstoasmanyas100PollingStationsonElectionDay.Hubleaderswerethe“go-to”peopleforPresidingOfficers.TheyplayedakeyroleinmanagingPresidingOfficersandelectionmaterialsbeforeandduringElectionDay.

AllHubLeadersweretrainedinthreedifferentphases.

§ HubLeaderintroductiontraining;§ HubLeaderlogisticstraining;and§ HubLeaderfulltraining.

HubLeaderIntroductionTrainingTheFEOusedvarioustechnologicaladvancementstoensurethatthetasksforHubLeaderswerebeingeffectivelycompleted.Hubleadersweretrainedontheuseof‘Camscan’andFEO’sMercuryApp.TheMercuryAppisusedtoscanbarcodesandallowsforrealtimerecordingofstatusondelivery and receipt of election packages while the Camscan scans single or multipagedocuments.

EachHubLeaderwasgivenahands-onpracticeandwasassessedby theQualityAssuranceOfficersdeployedateachvenue.Itwasnecessarytopassthispracticalexercisetobeconfirmedasahubleader.

HubLeadersHalfDayLogisticsTrainingThemainfocuswasonthelogisticsinvolvedforHubLeaders.Thistrainingenabledtraineestosorthubpackagesandthenfurtherbreak itdowntoPollingVenuepackages. ItallowedHubLeaderstogainfamiliarityonscanningdifferentbarcodeswhichwereeachcodedbyauniquecolourrepresentingeitherthehubpackageorpollingvenuepackageandsoon.

HumanResourcesteamalsohadachancetospeaktotheHubLeadersatthistrainingandbriefthemonadministrativetaskssuchascompletionoftimesheets,driversrunningsheet,ExitFormandcontractsigning.

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HubLeaderFullDayTrainingAtotalof107HubLeadersattendedthefulltrainingeitheron6Novemberor7November.Thisfulldaytrainingservedasarefresherandprovidedadditionaldetailstowhatwascoveredinprevioustrainings.Theywereissuedwiththeiroperationsmanualsandallwereinformedtoattend a mandatory PO training. Hub Leaders were also taken through troubleshootingscenariosasitwascrucialthatHubLeaderscouldthinkontheirfeetandresolveissuesastheyarose.

AllHubLeaderswereissuedwithaSamsungJ5mobilephoneandacartravelchargertoassistthemintheirrole.

NationalCountCentreTeamTrainingAcomprehensivehalf-daytrainingsessionwasheldfor120teamsoverfourconsecutivedaystopreparethemforcountingofpostalandPre-Pollvotes.

A half day Training of Trainers was conducted for eight part-time field trainers who thenconducted this training in teams of two at four different venues. NZEC Technical AdvisorsassistedtheFEECtrainersinthedeliveryofthistraining.

OthertrainingsconductedbyFEEC:

• RecruitmentAssistantrefresher:• RecruitmentOfficerrefresher:• VoterAdministrativeAssistanttraining;• Firewardentraining;• Inductiontraining;• NominationsDataEntryteamtraining;• VoterInstructionBookletprinting-QualityAssurancetraining;• VoterInstructionBookletdistributiontraining;• Logisticstraining;and• ResultsManagementInformationSystem(RMiS)training.

Voter confidence inside the Polling Stationswas boosted due to the customer service theyreceived.ThetrainingwasdesignedtoensurethatEOswerepolite,approachableandfriendlytoallvoters.ThekeymessagewastoensurethateveryvoterregisteredtothePollingStationisabletoexercisetheirrighttovotewiththebestpossiblecustomerservice.

Being trained on providing clear and impartial instructions allowedPollingDayWorkers tomaintain professionalismwithin the Polling Stations. Further, to ensure consistency in theimplementation of voting, counting and packing processes PollingDayWorkerswere cross-trained on all aspects of running the Polling Stations so that they are able to rotate duringemergenciesandmealbreaks.

TheFEECconducted1736trainingsessionstotrain11,061trainees.TheuseofcomprehensiveTrainer Guides and comprehensive operational manuals led to consistency in trainingsregardlessofthelocalitywherethetrainingwasconducted.

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ProcurementandAssetManagementTheobjectivesoftheProcurementandAssetManagementdepartmentweretoacquirequalitymaterials,itemsandservicesatthebestvaluefromreliablevendorshavingregardtoquality,timelydeliveryandbackup services. Supplierswere selectedeither throughopen tenderorsourcingof3ormorequotes.SuppliersthatbestmettheFEO'srequirementswereretained.

This department ensured that all procurements were conducted in a transparent andaccountablemanner.TheFEOProcurementPolicyallowstheFEOtoprocurespecificsensitiveelectionitemsdirectlyfromvendors.

In order to achieve its objectives, the Procurement and Asset Management Departmentadvertisedtendersforgoods,servicesandworksthetotalvalueofwhichwasinexcessofFJD$200,000.00. Goods, services and works of lesser value were purchased after obtaining aminimumof3competitivequotations.

Thefollowingtenderswerecalledandawardedformaterialsandequipment:

2017/2018TENDERSTenderNumber ItemRequired SuccessfulBidder AmountTender01/2017 BallotBox RCManubhai&CoLtd $42,010.00Tender02/2017 PollingKits KrizSignsFijiLimited $1,431,965.08Tender03/2017 Laptops JantyBondwell

Limited$217,350.00

Tender04/2017 Executive4x4SUVvehicle AscoMotors $171,900.00Tender05/2017

PromotionalMerchandise

TwinTigers $87,200.00PremiumSigncrafters $126,331.00KrizSignsFijiLimited $167,000.00*IshwarIndustries $298,500.00CKPatel $64,000.00

Tender06/2017 BallotPaperPrinting StarPrintery $189,500.00Tender07/2017

PostalVotingCourier-International

DHL $217,526.01

-Local EMS 155,857.00Tender08/2017 SupplyofPollingStationSheds FormscaffFijiLimited $473,801.20Tender01/2018

PrintingofVoterInstructionsBooklet

StarPrinteryLimited $355,900.00QualityPrintLimited $350,000.00

Tender02/2018 HireofCountCentreTents FormscaffFijiLimited $299,550.00*TheSupplierlaterwithdrewanddidnotsupply

The FEO successfully managed to advertise and award tenders for all items and servicesrequiredfortheGeneralElection.Itemsprocuredviathetenderprocesswerealsosuccessfullydeliveredbythevendorswithinthetimeframestipulated.

Apart from tender and purchase of materials, the Procurement and Asset Managementdepartmentwerealso involved inbuildingrenovations,hireofvehiclesandcharterofboats,helicopters and aeroplanes for the polling teams, printing of Election Day materials andpurchaseofPre-Pollequipmentincludingtents,ballotboxstrapsandbackpacks.

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This department has also assisted in all FEO trainings by hiring training venues, organisingflights,accommodationandtransportationfortrainers,andcateringforapprovedtrainings.

The Procurement and Asset Management department hired the FMF Gymnasium and ANZStadiumcarparkfortheNationalResultsCentreandNationalCountCentreforthe2018GeneralElection.Thisincludedcateringservicesprovidedtothestaffengagedforthefourdays.Mealsincludedbreakfast,lunchanddinnerasthesecentresoperated24/7untilthecountandresultswerecomplete.

ElectionPeriodLeaseofOffice/WarehouseSpaceThe Procurement and Asset Management department was involved in leasing of office andwarehousespacesforthe2018GeneralElectionoperationalneeds.WiththenumberofprojectsrunningconcurrentlytheFEOstartedtoexpandfromearly2017inpreparationforthe2018GeneralElection.

Itwasdecidedduringearly2017thattheCorporateServicesDirectoratemoveoutoftheHeadOffice in Toorak so that additional staff for the Operations and Strategic Development andCommunicationsDirectoratescouldberecruited.Additionally,theHumanResourcedepartmentwas also expanding due to the recruitment of EOs. In May 2017, the Corporate ServicesDirectoratewhichincludedHumanResources,Finance,TrainingandProcurementmovedouttoKorobasagaHouseinGorrieStreetandcommencedtheiroperationsfromthere.

Withtheneedforadditionalofficeandwarehousespacestoeffectivelyrunelectionsoperations,theFEOhadleasedthefollowingspaces.

1. Corporate Services Directorate - leased from Kelton Investment located at GorrieStreet, Suva for20months fromMay2017. Initially, theFEOhadacquired two floorswhichwere ground and second floor. From April 2018, FEOmanaged to acquire thewholebuilding.Rentpermonth$18,809.04(Total$307,214.32).

2. PostalProcessingCentre - leased fromBureauofStatisticslocatedatSukunaHouse,Suva for two months from October 2018. The office was co-shared with Bureau ofStatisticsatnocosttotheFEO.

3. CentralDivisionalOffice–leasedfromFNPFlocatedatVictoriaCornerBuilding,Suvafor16monthsfromSeptember2017.Rentpermonth$4,034.56(Total$64,552.96).

4. EasternDivisionalOfficeandVoterServicesCentre–leasedfromTara’sSupermarket&MilkBarlocatedatRiverRoad,Nausorifor20monthsfromMay2017.Rentpermonth$2,725.00(Total$54,500.00).

5. WesternDivisionalOfficeandWarehouse-leasedfromMVSolarLimitedlocatedatBouwalu Street, Lautoka for 20months fromMay 2017. Rent permonth $11,990.00(Total$239,800.00).

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6. NorthernDivisionalOfficeandWarehouse - leased fromVunimoliSawmillLimitedlocatedatVakamasisuasuaSubdivision,Labasafor20monthsfromMay2017.Rentpermonth$7,000.00(Total$140,000.00).

VoterServicesCentres

1. Nadi – leased from Payda Limited located at Main Street, Nadi for 14 months fromNovember2017.Rentpermonth$1,417.00(Total$19,838.00).

2. Rakiraki– leased fromRajandAssociates locatedatMainStreet,Nadi for14monthsfromNovember2017.Rentpermonth$1,417.00(Total$19,838.00).

3. Savusavu-leasedfromSamadLawlocatedatMainStreet,Savusavufor20monthsfromMay2017.Rentpermonth$1,635.00(Total$32,700.00).

4. Labasa-leasedfromLegalAidlocatedatMainStreet,Labasafor20monthsfromMay2017.TheofficespacewasgiventotheFEOforfree.

FEOhadalsoopenedVoterServicesCentresinthefollowingareaswhichwerelocatedorco-sharedwiththeProvincialOfficeofDivisionalCommissioner’sOffice:

§ Sigatoka;§ Taveuni;§ Nasinu;§ Nabouwalu;§ Seaqaqa;§ Tavua;§ Korovou;and§ Navua.

InadditiontotheDivisionalOffices,theFEOhadopenedAreaOfficesinthefollowingareastoassistwith the operationalworks during this year’s General Election. These offices also co-sharedofficespacewithProvincialOfficesandDivisionalOffices:

§ CentralDivision–Suva,Navua,Nausori,KorovouandVunidawa;§ WesternDivision–Lautoka,Nadi,Keiyasi,Sigatoka,Ba,TavuaandRakiraki;§ NorthernDivision–Labasa,Seaqaqa,Nabouwalu,SavusavuandTaveuni;and§ EasternDivision–KadavuandLomaiviti.

GraphicDesignsectionOneGraphics teamwas assigned to the Procurement andAssetManagement department toensurethatartworksforproductionoftrainingandelectoralmaterialsweredoneontime.Thisalso included graphics for newspaper and gazette publications. The graphics team not only

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providedartworksforproductionexternallybutalsodidin-houseproductionofmaterialsfortrainingsandalsoforElectionDay.TheGraphicsteamwaswellequippedwithequipmentandmaterialsforin-houseproductions.Thegraphicsectionproducedthefollowingforthe2018GeneralElection:

• 2018OperationalManualsandHandbooks;• EOsTasksheets;• PresidingOfficersRecordBooks;• EnvelopesforPackagesA–K;• ApplicationForms(EVRandPostal);• TrainerGuides;• BallotBoxLabels;• RecordBookLabels;• TamperEvidentEnvelopes;• ProtocolofResults;• Banners(PullUp,HangingBannersandStreetBanners);• Pre-polltents,ballotboxstrapandhook;• MediaBackdrop;• PostalEnvelopes;and• AssistedVotingFlipChart.

ThefollowingitemswerealsodesignedbytheGraphicsteam:

• MealPassforfivedaysforeachofthethreedifferentmeals;• NationalCountCentreFlag(Red&White);• FloorPlan:

- NationalCountCentre.- NationalResultsCentre.- CommandCentre.- NationalCandidateBallDraw.- MediaCentre.

• TriangularDeskCalendar2018;• PocketCalendar;• MediaBackdrop:

- ElectoralCommission.- FijianElectionsOffice.- MediaCentrePresentationTable.- ElectoralCommissionPocketCardofEvents.- NationalRegisterofVoters(CoverdesignandInsidelayout).

• ElectionVisitorProgramIDBadgeBrochure.DesigningofCertificatesforallFEOandFEECtrainings;and

• Year 10 Schools Curriculummaterials (electoralmaterials, students’ and teachers’manuals).

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TheGraphicsTeamprintedsomeofthematerialsin-housewhichincludedtrainingmaterialsandsamplesforapprovalandproduction.Itemswhichwerebelow100inquantityand/ordidn’trequireanymajorbindingandcuttingwereproducedin-house.Theseincluded:

• StaffIDcards;• TemporaryStaffIDcards;• VIPandFEOOfficialpassesforNationalCountCentreandNationalResultsCentre;• MealpassesforNationalCountCentreandNationalResultsCentre;• TrainerGuides;• National Register of Voters (inside pages were printed in-house with covers and

bindingdoneexternally);and• NationalPollingVenueDirectory(insidepageswereprintedin-housewithcoversand

bindingdoneexternally).

FinanceDepartmentTheroleoftheFinancedepartmentincludesplanning,organising,auditing,accountingforandcontrolling FEO finances. This department also produces the financial statements formanagement and various stakeholders including the Public Accounts Committee. The corefunction of the department is accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, reconciliation,reporting and financial statements, financial control and audit. There are policies andproceduresoutlinedintheFinanceManualthatgoverntheprocessesintheFinancedepartment.

ThisdepartmentismanagedbytheFinancialControllerandassistedbytheAccountantandsixcorestaff.InElectionmodetheFinancedepartmenthasatotalof12staffascomparedto2014when therewereninestaff. Inaddition, thisdepartmenthasapositionof anAccountantandPayrollOfficerreportingdirectlytotheFinancialController.

Budget/ExpenditureTheGovernmentgrantapprovedforFEOforfinancialyear01August2018to31July2019was$20,412,496VIPcompared to2014withonly$17,971,531allocated for theyear.85%of thegrantwastoprovideforthe2018GeneralElectionexpensesforpoll,Pre-Pollandpost-election.The approved budgetwas reduced by $767,676.44 to cater for the payments for July 2018financialyear.

TheFEOopenedaseparatebankaccountwithWestpacBankingCorporationtomanageitsfundsfrom-01August2017ascomparedwith2014whereonly1lineallocationwasgiventotheFEOtomanageitsoperationsandthebankaccountwascontrolledbytheMinistryofEconomy.

TheElectionBudgetcateredformostoftheexpenditurebutduetotherequirementoftheFEOto be election ready from three years, six months after an election, (May 2018) and theannouncement of the election late in 2018, therewas additional cost incurred for refreshertraining,recruitmentofstaffandadvertisingthroughvariousmeans.

Theexpenditurereportfrom01August2018to31December2018includedthesalaryofEOs,charterofvesselsandplanes,meals,subsistenceallowances,hireofsheds,transport,printingof

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materials, advertisements for Pre-Poll, poll and catering for the National Count Centre andNationalResultsCentre.

ExpenditureReportasat31December2018:

Description Budget$ Expenditure$ %Utilised

InformationTechnology 276,302 258,346 93.50ConsultancyFees 256,680 91,986 36.10ElectoralCommissionAllowance 130,000 120,412 92.62ManagementExpenses 15,000 12,109 80.70Insurance 15,000 852 5.60Legalfees 33,500 5,300 15.82Advertising 1,865,265 1,845,264 98.92PersonnelEmoluments 8,722,190 8,129,540 93.20StaffTrainingExpenses 35,000 30,320 86.62OHS 105,266 76,461 72.63Postage&Courier 423,054 400,886 94.76OfficeAdministration 3,703,526 3,698,550 99.86Telecommunication 795,661 793,965 99.78Travel&Accommodation 3,027,602 2,630,809 77.97FinancialExpense 20,000 6,252 31.62ECandOfficeMeeting 39,004 7,310 18.74VAT 949,450 914,637 96.33TotalVEP 20,412,500 18,752,999 91.87

FEOoperatesaTrust fundwhere fundsreceivedfromdonors isdeposited.The funds for theEMS,EORSandtheconsultantfundingiskeptintheTrustaccountwithHFCBank.Inadditiontothe Government grant, the Indian Government donated $291,830 to procure five vehicleswhereasinthe2014GeneralElectionexpenditureof$23,553,936wasfromoverseasaid.

FinanceManagementInformationSystem(Navision)FEOwasdeclaredanindependentstatutorybodyin2014andthustherewasaneedtoseparatetheoperationsofFinancefromtheGovernment.Atenderwascalledfortheimplementationofthefinancialmanagementsoftwarein2016andthiswasawardedtoUXCEclipseCompanyLtd.

The FEO started using the financialmanagement software on 01August 2016. The chart ofaccountswasdesignedtosuittheofficeoperationsasperDirectoratelevel,Division,AreaandProject.Thereportingfromthefinancialmanagementwasabletocapturethedetailedreportingdrillingdowntovariousprojectsanddepartment,capturethefixedassets,generatefinancialreports,manageandmonitorthebudgetandexpenditureandfurthermoreitprovidesadhocreports.

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TheNavisionsoftwaremanagedtocaptureassetsfortheyearending31July2018with$5.2million in the system as compared to the 2014manual record keepingof $1.7m.The entirereportingtotheexternalpartiesandtothemanagementismanagedbythesystem.

Themodulesprovidedbythefinancesystemenabletheofficetoundertakethefollowing:

• GenerateCheques;• PreparePurchaseOrders;• ProvideReports;• ProvideFinancialstatements;• IdentifyAssets;• ManageBankAccounts;• Manageaccountsreceivable;• CaptureAccrualsandPrepayment;and• IdentifyLiabilities.

TransitiontoInternationalFinancialReportingStandards[“IFRS”]andReportingonIFRSforSmallMediumEnterprise’s[“SME”]Afterthesuccessfulimplementationofthefinancesoftwarethenextprojectwastotransitionthe financial reporting to IFRS forSME’s.TheGovernmentreportingonone-linebudgetwasmanuallymanagedbyFEOanddidnotprovidemuchinformationneededbystakeholdersandmanagement.KPMGwasengagedtotransitthefinancialreportfromJanuary2016toJuly2016to IFRS for SME’s. The report was able to capture income, expenses, assets, liabilities andretained earnings. The first set of financial reports was prepared through the consultancyservicesbyKPMG.Thefinancialreportfortheyearended31July2017hasbeenfinalisedandaudithasverifiedthereport.

PayrollTheFEOindependentlyranitsownpayrollon01January2017.

The software was acquired from UXC eclipse through a tender process. Pay Global wasimplemented and staff payroll for short termand long termwas successfully generated anddepositedtorespectivebanksbytheFEO.

Prior to this, theFEOhad to relyon theMinistryofEconomy to run thepayroll.ThenewlyacquiredsoftwareprovidedaccesstoFNPFreports,PAYEreports,payslipsandotherreportsdirectlytotheFEOFinancedepartment.

ThesystemwasdesignedtocaterforpaymentsfortheEOtrainingallowance,EOsalary,Pre-Pollsalary,NationalCount teamsalary,NationalResultsCentreteamsalaryandHubLeadersalary.

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Thebelowtablehighlightsthepaymentofthestaff:

Description No.Paid Turn-aroundTimeEOtrainingallowance(#oftimes) 32,403 2daysEO 10,236 1-2daysCount 678 2daysRMIS 918 1dayHubLeaders 98 2daysPrepoll 451 2days

TheDatawasgeneratedfromtheElectionOfficialManagementsystem[“EOMS”]ina‘.csv’fileandloadedinthePayGlobal.Eachbatchwhichconsistedof3,000EOspaytook1daytoprocessandsubmittothebank. TheFEOmanagedtopay9,672EOswithinthreedaysafterElectionDay.

Incomparisontotheprocessin2014,manualexcelfileswereusedtopreparepayfortheEOastheGovernmentpayrollsystemcouldnotcaterfortheEOpay.ThismanualprocesstooktheFinancedepartmentalmostamonthtoprocessthesalaryforthestaffcomparedtothecurrentprocesswhichtakesonetothreedays.

CorporateOnlineBankingTheOperationsDepartmentwasdecentralisedandeachDivisionalOfficewasestablished.TheDivisionalOfficewassetuptocontrolthefinancewhichwasdispersedtothedivisionalaccount.AfterconsultationwithWestpac,fourDivisionalAccountswassetup(Central,Western,EasternandNorthern.).

CorporateOnlineBankingwasimplementedandtheFEOstartedusingthison10May2018.TheaccountableadvancefordivisionswasdirectlytransferredtotheDivisionAccountratherthansendingfundstothepersonalaccountofthestaff.TheCorporateOnlinefromWestpacprovidedaccesstomonitor the funds fromthesourceof fundsto thereceiverof funds.TheDivisionalOfficewasabletomonitorandcontrolthefundingtheyreceivedfromtheFinancedepartmentandevenmakepaymentsdirectlytothevendor’saccount.

RecordManagementSystemRecordManagement systemwas the E-filing project thatwas undertaken to streamline theprocessoffilingintheregistry.Thedocumentsarecurrentlyscannedinthesystemandsavedin the system.Thisprocessprovideseasieraccess todocumentsand saves time rather thanlookingforthedocumentsmanually.

InformationTechnology[“IT”]DepartmentTheITdepartmentplayedavitalroleinthedesignanddevelopmentofITbasedsolutionsofthemodern era to facilitate the work of the FEO. This department also carried out hardwaremaintenance,networkingsolutionsandprovidedtechnicalsupport.

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Thefollowingupgradeswereconductedtoensureuninterruptedsupporttothedeliveryofthe Election:

TelephoneSystemUpgradeThe telephone system was upgraded to enhance the FEO’s internal and externalcommunications.TheoldPABXwasremovedandahostedPABXwas implemented.ThenewPABX camewith advanced features that enabled efficient communication between FEO sub-officesandwascost-effective.

A total of 95 telephone extensions were upgraded to cater for the growing needs oftelecommunications as the 2018 General Election was nearing. Apart from the aginginfrastructureanotherreasonfor theupgradeswascostsavingswhenmovingtoVodafone’sCloudPABXwithcheapercallrates.

WiththeCloudPABXthereisnoneedtomanageinfrastructureasthisisprovidedasserviceandeliminatesfuturecostofupgradingtonewertechnologies.

NetworkSecurityUpgradeTobeuptoparwiththelatesttechnologyandCyberthreats,theITsectionacquirednewbladeservers with virtualised environment. All servers with latest updates, antivirus and regularbackupwithreplicationwereconfiguredtominimisedown-time inanevent forbothvirtualserverandphysicalserverfailure.Granularsecuritypolicieswerecreatedonallserverstodenyinbound and outbound connections and services, except for services thatwere required forusers.Anendpointantivirussystemwasupgradedatacostof$18,438.44

There were two Fortigate 500D firewalls placed in the FEO network border protection forunified threat management, high availability, redundancy and concrete security policiesimplementedtoeliminateinternalandexternalvulnerabilities.Allinboundsourceconnections,outbound destinations connections, activities and sessions were monitored regularly andterminatedifanysessionswerefoundtobesuspicious.

FortinetManagedWirelessAccessPointswereupgradedandsecuritystrengthened.AlluserswereauthenticatedwiththeirgivendomaincredentialsonRADIUSserverconnectingwirelesslyand avoiding wireless brute force attacks and users sharing pass key for unauthorisedconnectionstotheFEOnetwork.FortinetManagedWirelessAccessPointscostFEO$7,499.60.

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Switching was upgraded with Cisco Catalyst Devices with one Gbps user access and coreswitching, segmenting traffic from Users and servers. This increased network bandwidththroughputandstreamliningnetworksecurityportcontrol,accesscontrol lists,managementallowingforredundancyandfailoverinaneventofanyswitchfailure.

TheITdepartmentalsocarriedoutITSystemsauditandnetworkpenetrationtestingtoensureallsystemsweresecuritytightened.AlldetailedfindingsonNetworkarchitecture,internalandexternalnetworktesting,configurationreviewandoperationswasinspectedandresolved.

FEODisasterRecoverySiteAfterareviewofourDisasterRecovery[“DR”]andBackupproceduresitwasidentifiedthattheFEOrequiredanoffsiteDRsitewhichwouldcouldbeutilisedasasecondaryinfrastructureintheeventtheprimarysitewascompromisedduetonaturaldisaster,hardwaremalfunctionoratargeted event. The DR site had regular backup and replication that could recoverservers/backupsatanypointoftimeoffailure.

Tofacilitatethisprotocol,FEOinvestedinthefollowingitems:

1. Nutanix–NX13653nodes:- 96GBRAMpernode.- 4TBHardDiskpernode.- IntelXeonProcessor2.40GHz6-corepernode.- Cost:$96,840.00.

2. 80MbpsdedicatedWANlinktoDROffsite:- Cost:$12,000permonth.

3. Off-siteDRLocation:- 42RURackw/powersupply.- Cost:$4,560.00.

TheDRsitewastested inacontrolledenvironmenta fewtimestoestimatethedowntimeofservices.FromthesetestsintheeventwheretheDRwouldneedtogolive,therewouldbeaminimumof30minutesofdisruptionstonetworkservices.

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FEOWideAreaNetworkAutomaticPrivateNetworkFEOWANlinkstoallbranchofficeswereboostedtocaterforalltemporarystaffthatrequiredNetworkandinternetservicesduring2018Election.

Details L1 L2 L3 L4 L5

SiteLocation HQ,Toorak Lautoka Labasa KorobasaqaOffice

LaucalaBeach

VF-FJLinkType Local Local Local Local Local

Equipment RAD RAD RAD RAD RAD

WANBandwidthSupplied(Mbps) 25 5 5 10 5

InternetBandwidthSupplied(Mbps) 25

AprivatenetworkwassetuptoextendandremotelyaccessITservicesbasedinHeadOfficewithFEO’sprimaryISPtosuccessfullycarryouttheEOsRecruitmentDriveComputerbasedtest.TheFEOalso implementedasecondaryISP linktopreventdowntimeforFEOservices inaneventofISPfailure.

CCTVInstallationIntheleadupto2018GeneralElectionitwasidentifiedthattheFEOwarehousesituatedinBuleiRoad,LaucalaBeachwouldrequireextensivesecurityassensitiveelectionmaterialswouldbestoredthere.Surveillancecameraswererequiredtomonitorphysicalsecurityandbreaches.TheElectoral SecurityAdvisoryGroup [“ESAG”] identified positionswhere surveillance cameraswouldberequiredtohavecompleteviewofallthesurroundingsofthiswarehouse.

Afteridentifyingthesites,potentialsupplierswereinvitedforasitevisittoquotefortheservicerequired and on the basis of competitive pricing and quality of product, the supplier wasselected.Thetotalcostofimplementationwas$36,991.38.

26 CCTV surveillance cameras were installed at the FEO warehouse premises for physicalsecurityandmonitoringwithastoragecapacityof20Terabytescapableofretaining3monthsoffootage.

ICTInventorySystemAnew inventorymanagement systemwas implemented toproperly recordandmanage ICTassets.Withthenewsysteminplace,allICTassetsweretaggedandassignedtousers,makingiteasiertolocateandtracktheseassets.Thesystemiscapableofreconcilingassetsduringstocktaketoensureallitemsareaccountedfor.

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ICTstafftravelledtoallFEOsitesandtaggedallitemswithbarcodes.Therearecurrently1730FEOICTassetsintheinventorymanagementsystem.TheAssetManagementSystemsoftwarewithhardwarecost$6,105.96USD.

ResultsManagementInformationSystem[“RMIS”]NetworkUniqueDomainNetworkwassetupwith150devicesattheNationalResultsCentreforintrusionandthreatprotectionincludingIPsubnetthatisuncommontosmallnetworks,FortinetfirewallbordersecurityandCiscomanagedswitching.AlldeviceswerephysicallyconnectedviaindustrystandardCat6Ethernetcablesforguaranteed1Gbpsconnections.

AllcomputersintheRMISLANweredeniedaccesstotheinternetexceptaccessingtheRMISdatabase web portal. Local policies were created to lock down accessing the internet, USBdevices and initiate connectivity to other networks from the RMIS data entrylaptops.Communicationspanelwassecurelyplacedandlockedseparatelyfromthemainserverrackanduplinksprotectedfrombeingdamagedphysically.

RMISserverwasbackedupandreplicatedinNASStorageandvirtualisedforeaseofrecoveryincaseofanyfailure.AnadditionalserverwasplacedintheRMIScentreforhighavailabilityandredundancy.

RMISNetworkCost:

Items Cost$Cablingworks 14,200.003x48portDellPOEswitch 7,566.3920MbpsInternetLink 9,000.00Total 30,766.39

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OperationsDirectorateMs Anaseini Senimoli heads the Operations Directorate. The objective of the OperationsDirectoratewastoensurethatalleligiblevotersweregiventheopportunitytoregisterandthatsufficientoperationalactivitieswerecarriedouttoenableavotertocasttheirvoteduringthe2018GeneralElection.

VoterRegistrationFacilitationforvoterregistrationserviceshadceasedon4August2014andreopenedinJune2015.ThiswastoallowtheFEOtoreviewitsvoterregistrationsystemandprocedurespost2014GeneralElection.Theresumptionofvoterregistrationservicesensuredthatvotershadampletimetoregister,correctoramendtheirvoterdetailsbeforethe2018GeneralElection.

In2015, theFEObegan itsvoter registrationexercisebyembarkingonaNationwideSchoolRegistrationDrive.ThisinitiativebytheFEOhasbeensuccessfulasitensuresstudentsturning18yearsofageareregisteredandcapturedintheNationalRegisterofVoters[“NRV”].Duringthe voter registration sessions in schools, students were taken through a voter awarenesspresentationdeliveredbytheFEOteams.Sincethen,thiseventhasbecomeanannualeventintheFEO’scalendar.

Since2016,inadditiontotheSchoolVoterRegistrationDrive,VoterRegistrationCentresweresetupinmajorlocationsaroundthecountry.Thisensuredvoterregistrationservicesweremoreaccessibleandreadilyavailabletothegeneralpublic.

BelowaretheVoterServicesCentresthatwereopenedinordertoprovidevoterservicestothegeneralpublic:

Division Area Location DateOpenedCentral

Korovou WaimaroBuilding,DepartmentofWomensOffice,GroundFloor,Korovou 01/03/2018

Nausori MahendraPatelBuilding,RiverRoad,Nausori 03/08/2017

Navua RoMatanitobuaHouse,PASeruaandPANamosiOffice 03/03/2018

Suva Shop10,ThomsonStreet,Suva 24/08/2016

Vunidawa AgricultureBuilding,VunidawaGovernmentStation 13/03/2018

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Division Area Location DateOpened

EasternKadavu PA’sOffice,VuniseaGovernmentStation,

Kadavu 02/04/2018

Levuka ProvincialCouncilBuilding,Nasova,Levuka 05/03/2018

Northern Labasa LegalAidBuilding,JaduramStreet,Labasa 21/08/2017

Nabouwalu MSAAFBuilding,Nabouwalu 01/03/2018

Seaqaqa DOSeaqaqaOffice,Seaqaqa 01/03/2018

Savusavu PACakaudrove’sOffice,Savusavu 21/08/2017

Taveuni CakaudroveProvincialOfficeBuilding,Somosomo 01/03/2018

Western Ba DO’sOffice,KoronubuHouse,Ba 01/03/2018

Keiyasi DO’sOffice,VatumaliGovernmentStation,Keiyasi 01/03/2018

Lautoka 36VitogoParade,Lautoka 05/03/2018

Nadi Shop5,WestpointArcade,Nadi 22/01/2018

Rakiraki Shop5,GeorgeShiuRajBuilding,VaileaStreet,Rakiraki 22/01/2018

Sigatoka PA’sOffice,Lawaqa,Sigatoka 01/03/2018

Tavua DO’sOffice,NasiviStreet,Tavua 01/03/2018

Then in May 2017, a Nationwide Registration Drive including registration in schools wasconducted to provide an opportunity to eligible voters to register and voteduring the 2018General Election. Simultaneously, the NRV was also displayed in all the Voter RegistrationCentresduringthisperiod.ThedisplayofNRVallowedvoterstocheck,amendandupdatetheirvoterinformationorapplyforareplacementVoterCardifnecessary.

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BreakdownofVoterRegistrationTalliesBetween2015to2018:

Events/Exercise Dates NewRegistration Corrections Replacement

PhaseI–SchoolRegistrationDrive2015

13/07/15–07/08/15 6,667 611 3,324

PhaseII–SchoolRegistrationDrive2016

06/06/16–01/07/16 5,087 222 1,222

PhaseIII–NationwideVoterRegistrationDrive2017

22/05/17–08/07/17 14,425 32,592 68,348

PhaseIV–KnowYourElectionAwarenessDriveI2018

15/03/18–28/04/18 4,462 10,068 11,869

PhaseV–KnowYourElectionAwarenessDriveII2018

18/09/18–27/10/18 865 4,326 3,295

CloseofRolls 28/09/18–01/10/18 946 2,060 1,206

OverseasVoterRegistrationDrive 2017-2018 1,809 1,752 388

CardReplacementServices 11/10/18–13/11/18 8,465

OtherRegistrations:VoterServicesCentres/CommunityOutreach,Roadshow/Expos/PublicEvents–Carnivals,etc.(2015–2018)

33,256 41,421 63,121

Statisticsforthe2018GeneralElection:

Division TotalRegistered

1 Central 265,184

2 Eastern 26,034

3 Northern 94,094

4 Western 244,245

5 Overseas 7,970

Total 637,527

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The process of using mobile registration teams increased the accessibility of registrationservices.VoterswhowereunabletoreachtheFEO’sVoterRegistrationCentresduetoillnessordisabilitiesweregiventhisopportunitytorequestformobileregistrationduringhomevisits.

Inaddition,theFEOtravelledtoanumberofoverseascountriestofacilitatetheregistrationofFijiancitizenslivingthere.Intotal,therewerethreephasesofoverseasregistration.

Phase Iofoverseas registration tookplace in the firstquarterof2017where certainPacificIslandcountrieshavingahighnumberofFijiancitizensresidinginthosecountrieswereselectedtobecovered.

PhaseIIoftheOverseasVoterRegistrationDrivetookplaceinthelastquarterof2017.TheFEOcollaboratedwith theMinistry of ForeignAffairs in the selection of countries to be coveredduring this registration period based on the interest expressed by Fijian citizens and FijianMissions.

Thenasafinaloverseascoverageforthe2018GeneralElection,theFEOrevisitedafewmorecountriesbasedonthehighnumberofrequestsreceivedbyFEO.

OverseasRegistrationExerciseResults:

PacificIslandRegistrationDrive:

Country RegistrationDates NewRegistration Correction Replacement

Tonga 25/03/17–27/03/18 143 25 6Kiribati 20/03/17–27/03/18 27 10 6CookIslands 21/03/17–27/03/17 174 102 0AmericanSamoa 27/03/17–03/04/17 124 70 1WesternSamoa 20/03/17–24/03/17 53 22 11Vanuatu 21/04/17–25/04/17 31 41 5PNG 26/04/17–02/05/17 19 56 21SolomonIslands 21/04/17–25/04/17 4 8 0Tuvalu 11/05/17–16/05/17 9 32 0Marshalls 13/10-14/10/17 20 46 21Nauru 05/12/17-10/12/17 20 77 0TOTAL 624 489 71

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OverseasVoterRegistrationDrive[2017–2018]:

Country RegistrationDates NewRegistration Correction Replacement

AustraliaPhase1 12/10/17-29/10/17 195 185 66

AustraliaPhaseII 15/6/18-25/6/18 68 82 15

NewZealandPhaseI 05/10/17-15/10/17 234 260 84

NewZealandPhaseII 21/06/18–21/07/18 106 92 15

Indonesia 10/10/17 5 9 0

USAPhaseI 02/10/17-19/12/17 325 296 55

USAPhaseII 16/06/18-02/07/18 93 156 31

UnitedKingdom 3/12/17-22/12/17 108 70 29

Korea 10/10/17 14 7 5

Malaysia 10/10/2017 3 9 0

UnitedArabEmirates 21/06/18–30/06/18 18 51 10

Kuwait 29/06/18 3 26 1

Europe-Switzerland,Netherlands,France,Belgium

23/07/18-29/07/18 13 20 6

TOTAL 1185 1263 317

Aprogressivedata-cleaningexercisewasalsobeingconductedtoremovedeceasedvotersfromtheNRV.Thisresultedinatotalof20,590votersconfirmeddeceasedwhowereremovedfromtheNRVbetween2015to01October,2018.

Asrequiredbylaw,votersservingimprisonmentof12monthsorlongerceasetobearegisteredvoter.Assuch,501voterswereremovedfromtheNRVunderthiscategory.

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NationalRegisterofVotersStatisticsasat01October2018

Division Gender 18-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81+ Female Male

Central Male 6761 35427 31655 22683 19122 10706 4224 1037 131615

Central Female 6928 34765 31034 22405 19862 11876 5181 1518 133569

Eastern Male 436 2931 3202 2418 2440 1550 761 212 13950

Eastern Female 405 2447 2796 2092 2059 1289 726 270 12084

Northern Male 2327 10929 10834 9110 8220 4403 1823 570 48216

Northern Female 2402 10176 9570 8194 7555 4726 2499 756 45878

Overseas Male 42 512 1039 1082 970 514 168 25 4352

Overseas Female 36 420 874 885 794 459 141 9 3618

Western Male 5500 28596 30198 22401 19872 10867 4489 1040 122963

Western Female 5353 28559 28149 20915 19262 11999 5618 1427 121282

TOTAL 30190 154762 149351 112185 100156 58389 25630 6864 316431 321096

Summary: Total PercentageRegisteredvoters: 637,527 Gender:Female 316,431 49.63Male 321,096 50.37Division:Central 265,184 41.60Eastern 26,034 4.08Northern 94,094 14.76Overseas 7,970 1.25Western 244,245 38.31

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VoterListAttheendofthe2014GeneralElection,theFEOconductedapost-electionreviewtodetermineshortfallsandgapsintheexistingelectoralprocedures.

OneoftheproblemsidentifiedfromthisreviewwasthattheVoterListdidnothavesufficientinformationtohelpthePollingDayWorkersorPresidingOfficerinidentifyingandascertainingvoterswhodidnothavetheirVoterCardonPollingDay.

The lackofsuch important informationontheVoterListmeant thatPollingDayWorkersorPresidingOfficershad tospendmore time inobtainingandauthenticating information fromvoters before allowing them to vote. This resulted in the delay of voting processes in somePollingStations.

From this review the Voter List for the 2018 General Election wasmodified to include thefollowing:

VoterListformatforthe2018GeneralElection:

• PaperSize–A3.• Orientation–Portrait.

VoterInformationintheVoterList:

• VoterCardNumber.• Votersphoto.• Surname.• FirstName.• ResidentialAddress.• Gender.• Checkcolumn.• VotersSignature.

VoterListStencilsIn2015,theFEOdecidedtoconductananalysisontheVoterListswhichwereusedduringthe2014GeneralElection.FromthisanalysisitwasdiscoveredthattherewasinconsistencyinthecrossingoffofnamesintheVoterListandtheuntidysignaturesbythevotersmadeitdifficultforPresidingOfficerstoreconcilevotersignaturesattheendofpolling.

Toresolvethisissueforthe2018GeneralElection,theFEOcreatedastenciltoeliminatetheproblemandensurethattheVoterListisreadableandunderstandablewhenPresidingOfficersarereconcilingthenumberofsignaturesattheendofpolling.

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PollingVenuesforthe2018GeneralElectionIn2014,therewereatotalof1371PollingVenues.Thisnumberincreasedto1436inthe2018GeneralElection.

After the 2014 General Election, the FEO conducted a series of Polling Venue Assessment[“PVA”]exercises toexaminethestatusofPollingVenuesthatwereusedduringtheGeneralElection.ThefirstassessmentwascarriedoutfromFebruarytoJune2016.FieldOfficersweredeployedouttothefourdivisionstoconducttheassessment.

TheFieldOfficersusedanofflineapplicationtoinputPollingVenuedetails.ItwasalsothefirsttimeaGPSmappingexercisewas conducted topinpoint ‘x’ and ‘y’ coordinatesof theexactlocationofPollingVenues.APollingVenueAssessmentManualandaPollingVenueAssessmentFormweredevelopedtobeusedduringtheexercise.

Thereafter,theDivisionalCoordinatorscarriedoutreassessmentsonindividualPollingVenues.Aftertheirreassessment,aProvisionalPollingVenueListwascreated.ThislistwasthenverifiedbybeingdistributedinternallywithintheFEOforscrutinybythedifferentDirectorates.EachDirectoratewasexpectedtoprovidethisscrutinywithin1weekbeforereportingtheirfindingstotheMonitoringOfficer.Oncethelisthadbeenverifiedandscrutinised,theMonitoringOfficeramended the list accordinglyandsubmited it to thePollingVenueSelectionCommitteewhorecheckedthelist,endorseditbeforesubmittingtoSoEforhisapproval.OnceapprovalwassgrantedbytheSoE,theProvisionalPollingVenueListandPollingVenueMapswerepublishedandmadeavailableforpublicinspection.

TheProvisionalPollingVenueListandPollingVenueMapsweredisplayedforpublicinspectionandscrutinyinallDivisionOfficesandalsoontheFEOwebsite.TheFEOalsosoughtresponsesfromPoliticalPartiesandotherstakeholdersthroughmeetingstodeliberateonthelistandmap.Afterconsultationswiththestakeholders,thelastphaseofthePollingVenueAssessmentwasconducted.ThisphasecomprisedelectronicortelephoneorpostalcontactwithPollingVenueownerstoverifythecurrentstateofthePollingVenueandconfirmittobeusedinthe2018GeneralElection.

TheFEOpublishedtheProvisionalPollingVenueListandPollingVenueMapson30July2016,18March2017,16September2017,18January2018,22September2018,and26September2018.The2018PollingVenueListwasapprovedandpublishedbytheSoEon09October2018.

Apart frompublication in the newspapers, itwas alsopublished on the pamphlets and FEOOfficialwebsite.

PollingVenueSelectionCommitteeThePollingVenueSelectionCommitteecomprisedoftheDirectorOperationsFEOMs.AnaseiniSenimoli,theformerDirectorGeospatialattheMinistryofLandsMs.AkataTakala,theformerDirectorOperationsFijiPoliceForceMr.TitoElo,ElectionsCoordinatorsMs.SalaYavaca,andMr.ViliameVuiyanucawasofficiallysetupon01August2016.

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Theirrolewastoselect,finaliseandrecommendtotheSoEthelistofPollingVenuesthatwasgoingtobeusedasElectionDayandPre-PollVenuesforthe2018GeneralElection.Duringthecourseoftheirduty,theyweretoconsultwithFEOofficials,Governmentstakeholders,politicalpartiesandthegeneralpublictogathertheirviewsontheselectionofPollingVenues.

Pre-PollThe venues for Pre-Poll were identified using the criteria outlined in the Electoral Act andincorporatedintoscheduleswhichweregazettedon17October2018.Pre-Pollwasscheduledbetween05to10November2018.Theschedulestookintoaccountfactorssuchaslownumbersof voters and remoteness of the location. The Military bases, naval bases and correctionsfacilitieswerealsounderPre-Poll.

An awareness program to inform voters of Pre-Poll schedules was launched using variouscommunication tools. Apart from using the Roko Tui’s, Provincial Administrators, DistrictOfficersandDivisionalCommissionerstoconveyPre-Pollschedulesandpollingtimestoeachvillage,letterswerehanddeliveredtoeachTuraga-ni-Koroonthepollingtimeoftheirvillage.Pre-PollscheduleswerealsodisplayedateveryPre-PollVenue.

ThematerialsrequiredbyeachPre-PollteamwerepreparedinSuvaandprovidedtoeachteamforthecommencementoftheirschedules.Avarietyoftransportmethodsincludingroad,boat,helicopterandfixedwingaircraftwasused.

For the 2018 General Election, FEO tents were used as Polling Venues replacing privateresidences.Pre-PollteamsgenerallycomprisedaTeamLeader(PresidingOfficer)andupto4otherstaff.Therewere92prepollteams.

Division TotalNo.ofPollingVenues

TotalNo.ofRegisteredVoters

TotalNo.Voted

Central 96 14,379 9,452

Western 165 22,466 14,041

Northern 134 14,896 9,847

Eastern 187 18,825 12,379

TOTAL 582 70,566 45,719

Whileteamswereinthefield,theyhaddailycontactwiththeirrespectiveAreaOfficerstoreportonvoterturnoutoranyissuesthatmayhavearisenduringtheday.EachteamwasaccompaniedbytwoPoliceOfficersatalltimes.

InthemajorityofcasesPre-Pollscheduleswereadheredtoasplanned,however,insomecasestherewereamendmentsmadeduetounforeseenoruncontrollablecircumstancese.g.weather,tides,etc.Whereitwasnecessarytoreschedulepolling,approvalwassoughtfromtheECandchangesweremadeaccordingly.

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InmostinstancestheamountoftimeallocatedforPre-PollataparticularVenuewasadequatefortheturnoutofvoters.Thepollingtimesforthe2018GeneralElectionwerebasedontheplansandschedulesofthe2014GeneralElectionbutslightlyamendedtosuitthecurrentsituationof2018.

TherecruitmentanddeploymentofstafffromtheDivisionalandAreaofficesworkedwellforthe purpose of Pre-Poll. It enabled the Divisional Managers to have good control of theengagementofPre-Pollstaff.Onafewoccasions,staffhadtobesentfromSuvatocoverareaswhichhadlittleinterestshownbythelocalpeopleduringtherecruitmentdrives.

The role of external stakeholders such as District Officers, Provincial Officers and AdvisoryCouncillorsinensuringthatthescheduleofvisitswascommunicatedtothevariouscommunitieswasalsobeneficial.During the last2years, theFEOhadbeenworkingvery closelywith theMinistryof iTaukei Affairs andRural&MaritimeDevelopment in ensuring that informationpertainingtoPre-Pollvotingandpollingtimeswerecontinuouslydisseminatedandcirculatedduring village meetings and gatherings. FEO Area Officers maintained good relations withTuraga-ni-Koro’sandarrangedforstaffaccommodationwiththem.

ThetimelyandcoordinatedapproachgivenbytheFijiPoliceForceintermsofprovidingsecurityfortheEOsandmaterials,allowedtheFEOtodemonstratethattherewasanadditionallayerofsecurityonelectionmaterialsatalltimes.

WithinFiji therearePollingVenueswiththesameorsimilarnameswhichcausedconfusionwhenallocatingresourcesin2014.TheFEOsolvedthisproblembyallocatingaodeuniquetoaparticularPollingVenue.AllelectionmaterialspertainingtoPre-PollweretaggedtothePollingVenuecode.

TheFEOdeveloped“PresidingOfficersPre-PollJournal”foreachPre-Pollteam.ThisJournalwasdevelopedbytheDivisionalManagersandtheFEOGISteamtobeusedbyPresidingOfficersduringthedurationofthePre-Pollperiod.EachPre-PollteamwasgivenacustomisedJournalspecificallydevelopedtooutlinetheactivitiesandprogramtheteamneededtoadheretoduringthe1weekPre-Pollperiod.

PostalVotingPostalVotingprovidedanopportunity foroverseasvotersandthosewhocouldnotattendaPollingStationonElectionDay, tocast theirvote.Allvoters thatwantedtoPostalVotewererequiredtoapplyoncethedateoftheGeneralElectionwasannounced.

WhenapplicationswerereceivedbytheFEO,theywerecheckedforcompletenessbeforebeingdataenteredintotheEMS.ThissystemhadamoduleonPostalVotingwhichwasspecificallycreatedtomanagePostalVotingApplicationforthe2018GeneralElection.

Once a Postal Applicationwas approved, a postal packagewas dispatched to the nominatedaddressofthevoterasstatedintheirapplicationform.ThereweretwopostalcouriercompaniesengagedforthedeliveryofPostalVotingpackagestooverseasandlocalvoters.IncaseswhereEMScouldnotdelivertolocaladdresses,theFEOmadethesedeliveriesitself.

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TheresidentialdetailsonthepostaldatabaseweresuppliedtoDHLandEMSaccordingly.ThisenabledthecouriercompaniestopreparesatchelspendingreceiptofcompletedpackagesfromtheFEO.

PostalVotingpackagescontainedthefollowing:

§ VoterInstructionBooklet;§ OneBallotPaper;§ SecretEnvelope;§ TransmissionEnvelope;§ PrepaidReturnedEnvelope;§ PostalVotingProcessPamphlet;and§ Ifcouriered,areturnedprepaidcouriersatchel.

PostalBallotsthatwerereturnedandreceivedbyFEOwereenteredinaregisterbyscanninginthebarcodesintotheEMS,andstoredunderPoliceGuard.

PostalVotesReceived

TotalSent TotalReceived

11,227 10,315

On 23 November 2018, DHL and EMS returned satchels of which 48 were categorised as“receivedlate”and268as“undelivered”.

Before thedeadlineof5pmonWednesday24October2018,manyPostalApplicationsweresubmittedatthelastminutethroughemailsandhanddeliveriestotheAreaOffices.Thisresultedintheseapplicationsbeingprocessedoverthenextthreedaysaftercloseofpostalapplicationson24October2018.TheFEOalsofoundanadditional411applicationsthathadbeenmadeontimebutwerenotprocessedbythePostalTeam.TheSoEauthorisedthatsincetheapplicationswereontime,theybeprocessedandsatchelsdispatchedaccordingly.

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ElectionDayPollingtookplaceon14November2018.ThemajorityofthePollingStationsbeganoperationsat7:30amandclosedat6.00pmtobegincounting.PollingAgentsandInternationalObserverswerepermittedintothePollingStations.TheFEOensuredthatthemaximumnumberofvotersat any Polling Station was 500. Voters were assigned to a Polling Station closest to theirresidentialaddress.

The final Polling Venues for Election Daywhichwas published on the Notice of Poll on 17October2018wereasfollows:

Division TotalNo.ofPollingVenuesforPollingDay

Central 201

Eastern 223

Western 228

Northern 202

TOTAL 854

However,althoughconfirmedandpublished,certainPollingVenuesbecameunavailable.ThisresultedintheFEOsettinguptemporaryPollingStationSheds.Inaddition,partitionsweresetupinPollingVenueswhichhadmultiplestations.Thebreakdownisasfollows:

OverallBreakdownofSheds/PartitionRequired(PVSheds+Spillovers)

Division PVSheds Spillovers Total#ofshedsrequiredforE-Day

Total#ofPartitionsRequired

Central 64 23 87 36

Western 42 10 52 0

Northern 27 4 31 4

Eastern 7 2 9 8

Total 140 39 179 48

All the election materials required for polling including Voter Lists and ballot papers weredeliveredtoPresidingOfficersattheirPollingStationseitheronTuesday13NovemberorearlymorningonWednesday,14November.PollingDayWorkerswhowererecruitedandhadsignedtheircontractwererequiredtoattendabriefingatanallocatedtimewiththeirPresidingOfficer.

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AllvotestakenonElectionDaywerecountedattherespectivePollingStations.TheresultsfromtheCountweretransmittedbyPresidingOfficerstoatollfreededicatednumberattheNationalResultsCentre.

ThePresidingOfficerswererequiredtopastethepinkcopyoftheProtocolofResults[“POR”]outsidethepollingstationbeforesendingtheoriginalcopyofthePORtotheNationalResultsCentre.

OncompletionoftheCount,allelectionmaterialswerepackedandcollectedbytheHubLeaders.ThesematerialswerethentransportedtothevariousAreaOfficesundertheescortoftheFijiPoliceForceOfficers.

DuetotheadverseweatherconditionsonElectionDay,theSoE,inconsultationwiththeEC,hadtoadjournpollingfor22PollingVenueswith25PollingStationsaroundthecountry.Thiswasadjournedto17November2018.

All sensitive election materials collected on November 14 were securely stored at the FEOwarehouseinSuvaby17November2018.ForthosePollingVenueswhichwereadjourneddueto adverse weather conditions and flooding, their materials were in storage in Suva by 18November2018.

The presence of Police Officers at all Polling Stations during the delivery and collection ofelectionmaterialsdemonstratedtothegeneralpublicthattheprocesswassecureandsafeatalltimes.

LogisticsAlogisticsstructureintroducedforthe2018GeneralElectionistherecruitmentofFieldOfficers,Hub Leaders and Hub Assistants. This additional structure enabled logistics delivery andcollection of election materials to and from Polling Stations to be easily managed andadministeredbytheDivisionalManagersandtheirteams.

PriortoWritDay,pollingkits,votingscreensandothernon-sensitiveelectionmaterialsweredeliveredtotheDivisionalOfficeswhothenfurtherdividedanddistributedthesenon-sensitivematerialstotheAreaOfficerswhoarethefocalstoragepointsoutinthefield.Estimatesonthequantities of items to be used for the 2018 General Electionwere based on the number ofregistered voters for theGeneral Election and the number of Polling Stations thatwould begeneratedbasedonthesevoternumbers.

AcomprehensivedeliveryandcollectionschedulewasdevisedbytheDivisionalManagersandbasedontheseplanstheGISteamdeveloped logisticsroutemaps forAreaOfficersandHubLeaders.TheseroutemapswereaguideintermsofdistributingandcollectingelectionmaterialsfromeitherthePre-PollExchangesiteorHubOffice.

ThepackingofsensitiveelectionmaterialsforPre-Pollcommencedon29October2018.Atotalof587ballotboxeswerepackedbypriorityareasandreadyfordistributiontotheAreaOfficesfrom30October2018. In total, ten20 ft.containerswereusedtotransportandtransfer thesensitivematerialstothevariousAreaOfficesacrossthecountry.

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PackingofsensitivematerialsforPollingDaycommencedfrom31October2018.Atotalof1,567ballotboxeswerepackedduringthese6days.Theballotboxeswereagainpackedbypriorityareasandreadyfordistributionon3November2018.Intotal,twenty-two20ft.containerswereusedtotransportandtransfersensitivematerialsfromtheFEOwarehousetotheAreaOffices.

TheTamperEvidentEnvelope[“TEE”]storagecontainerscontainingtheTEEsforPre-Pollwerereceived at the FEOwarehouse onMonday 12 Novemberwhile the Polling Day TEEswerereceivedprogressivelyattheNationalCountCentrefrom15Novemberto18November2018.

ThetenPre-Poll20ftcontainersweretransferredtotheNationalCountCentreonthemorningof Polling Day (14 November) while the Polling Day 20 ft. containers were progressivelyreceivedattheFEOwarehousefromNovember15to18November,2018.

AttheReturnoftheWriton18November2018allpre-poll20ft.containersweretransferredfromtheNationalCountCentretotheFEOWarehouse.

TheFEOwarehousewasveryconvenient inprovidingspace fornotonlypackingofelectionmaterialsbutaswellasstorageof20ft.containers.

OperationsWarehouseDuringtheMockElectioninFebruary2018,itwasdecidedthatinorderforthesmoothrunningofthelogisticsoperationsitwasnecessarythattheOperationsDirectoratemanage,monitorandcontrolwarehouseNo.8duringelectionyear,as thiswarehousewould storeall theelectionmaterialsforthe2018GeneralElection.Assuch,DirectorCorporateServicesofficiallyhandedovertheOperationswarehousetotheOperationsDirectorateon27March2018whichwasthenhandedovertotheLogisticssectiononthesamedate.

Since this warehouse would be storing election materials it was necessary to convert thewarehousetoamoresecurestoragearea.Therefore,asecureholdingareawasconstructedtoholdthesensitivematerialssuchastheVoterLists,BallotPapers,BallotBoxSealsandIndelibleInk.Other itemswhichwerealsoplaced in the secureholdingarea included theProtocolofResultsandTEE.

Awningswere fitted onto the sides of thewarehouse lobby to provide the extra shade andcoveringsforthePackingteamsduringhotorrainydays.

TheBallot Boxes and other electionmaterialswere stored on racks away from the securedholding area and labelled for easy retrieval. Access to these 20 ft. containers was only toauthorisedpersonnel.

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Non–sensitivematerialsThefollowingmaterialsweretransferredtotheOperationsDirectorateduringthehandover.

Items QuantityBallotBoxes–45L 776BallotBoxes–80L 2,434PollingKits 3,002VotingScreens 3,003

All non-sensitive materials including polling kits and voting screens were stored in thewarehousebeforebeingtransferredtotheDivisionalWarehouses.

Breakdownfortransferofnon-sensitivematerialstotheDivisionalWarehousesisasfollows:

Items Divisions Central Western Northern Eastern

PollingKits 650 700 500 550 VotingScreens 650 700 500 550

ForcontingencypurposesFEOmanagementdecidedthatitwasprudenttostoreadditionalnon–sensitivematerials inasecuredlocation.ThiswastoreplenishFEOstock incaseamishapshouldoccurwherethelossofnon–sensitivematerialsisencountered.

Thefollowingisabreakdownofadditionalnon–sensitivematerialsstoredinasecuredlocationwhichcouldbeusedascontingencyifneeded:

Items QuantityBallotBoxes–PrePoll 100BallotBoxes–PollingDay 400PollingKits 450VotingScreens 500

Uponthetransferofnon-sensitivematerialstotheDivisionalwarehousesandthecontingencysupplytoasecuredlocation,ballotboxesforPre-PollandPollingDaywereprepackedpriortoWritDay.Thiswas toensure theLogistics sectionwasable toadhere to the strict timelinesduringthesensitivematerialspackingperiod.

Pre-packed materials included operational manuals, task sheets, blank count sorting cards,assistedvotingbrochuresandsecretenvelopewithonlycardboardlabel(Pre-Pollonly).

Items QuantityPrePackedBallotBoxes–PrePoll 600PrePackedBallotBoxes–PollingDay 1700

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AdditionalItemsAdditionalitemsorderedanddeliveredtotheWarehouseincludedthefollowing:

Items QuantityPrePollTents 180BallotBoxStraps 250PrePollBags 250ContainerNettings 32ContainerRollerRacks 32BallotBoxHooks 33ContainerRamps 10

SensitiveMaterialsThefollowingsensitivematerialswerereceivedattheOperationsWarehouse.

Item Quantity IndelibleInk (packsoftwobottles)3,000 BallotPaperBooks–PollingDay (books)13,227books

(incl.178fortheadjournedpolling) BallotPaperBooks–PrePoll (books)1,848 VoterLists–PrePoll 587 VoterLists–PollingDay 1567 Seals–PrePoll 16,000 Seals–PollingDay 44,000 PORecordBook–PrePoll 600 PORecordBook–PollingDay 1,600 PORecordBook-Postal 30 ProtocolofResults–PrePoll 600 ProtocolofResults–PollingDay 1,700 TamperEvidentEnvelope–PrePoll 3,525 TamperEvidentEnvelope–PollingDay 4,350 TamperEvidentEnvelope–Postal 4,000 TamperEvidentEnvelope–CountCentre 4,343 SecretEnvelopes–PrePoll 80,000 SecretEnvelopes-Postal 25,000

MonitoringofMovementofSensitiveMaterialsThe development of the Sensitive Materials Handling Procedure provided the necessaryprocesses tomonitor the dispatchof items ormaterials from thewarehouse. Areas coveredunderthisprocedureincludedthemovementsofVoterListsandBallotPapers.

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SecurityoftheWarehouseTheFEOinstalledCCTVcamerasinsideandoutsideofwarehouse8.ThisistoensurethattheFEOwere able tomonitor themovement of people, vehicles andmaterials to and from theWarehouseatalltimes.

TheFijiPoliceForcealsoprovidedthenecessarysecurityat thewarehouse.TheFEObuiltatemporaryfenceandgatehousebasedontherecommendationsoftheFijiPoliceForce.Thiswastoensurethatallpersonnelenteringorleavingthepremiseswereproperlyscreenedandvetted.

VoterInstructionBookletsAtotalof1,412,000VoterInstructionbooks[“VIB”]wereprintedbyQualityPrintLimitedandStarPrintery.ThesewerethetwoprintingcompaniesthatwereawardedthetendertoprinttheVIB’s.Theinitialtenderagreementwasforbothcompaniestoprint650,000VIBeachbutduetotheneedforextraVIBstobeprintedtocater for thecontingencies thetwocompanieswererequiredtoprintthefollowingquantities:

NameofCompany ExtraBooksPrinted TotalNumberofBooksPrinted

StarPrinteryLimited 75,000 725,000

QualityPrintLimited 38,100 687,100

TotalBooksPrinted 113,100 1,412,000

TheprintingoftheVIBwasfrom19October2018to09November2018.Theinitialplanwastofinishallprintingby02October2018butduetotheneedtoprintextraVIBsthetimelinewasfurther extended for anotherweek. A total of 36 staff were engaged to conduct QA for theindividualVIB’sbeingprinted.Staffwererequiredto inspecteveryVIBtoensurethatall thepageswerepresentandthattheprintqualitywasgood.

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VIBDistributionand“KnowYourElection”(4)CampaignTherewasatotalof50teamsthatweredeployedaroundFijitothePre-PollareasandthePollingDayurbanareastodelivertheVIB’stothevoters.Belowisthebreakdownofteamsthatweredeployedforthedrive:

Division NumberofTeamsNorthern 6WesternDivision 20EasternDivision 15Central 9Total 50

TeamsweredeployedtoconductvoterawarenessaswellasdistributeVIBstothevotersandbelowisthebreakdownofVIBsdistributedtotherespectivedivisions:

Division NumberofVIBsDeliveredCentral 250,710Western 219,890Northern 58,600Eastern 8,800TotalDistributed 538,000

NewspaperInsertsAspartoftheawarenessprogram,thetwomainnewspapercompaniesnamelyFijiTimesandFijiSunwereengagedtoinsertVIB’sinthenewspapersonSaturday27October2018.ThiswastoreachouttovotersthathadaccesstonewspapersandenablethemtogetacopyoftheVIB.BelowisthetotalnumberofVIB’sdistributedthroughbothnewspapers:

NameofCompany NumberofBooksDistributedFijiTimesLimited 28,000FijiSunLimited 35,000Total 63,000

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Pre-PollandPollingDayVIB’sTheprintersalsoprintedVIB’sthatweretobehandedtovotersinsidethePollingStationsonPre-PollandPollingDay.TherequirednumberofVIBstobeprintedplusthecontingenciescametoatotalof651,272VIB.

PollingDayBreakdown

Division Voters Contingency Cartonsin50s

Central 201889 206949 4395

Eastern 87641 90601 1955

Northern 78838 81548 1760

Western 190839 195779 4168

Total 559207 574877 12278

Pre-PollBreakdown

Division Voters Contingency Cartonsin50s

Central 14777 15777 363

Eastern 19019 20909 509

Northern 14553 15883 380

Western 22176 23826 554

Total 70525 76395 1806

TheVIBswerecheckedbytheAreaOfficersandPresidingOfficers.A fewreportedthat theyfoundsomedefects in theVIB. Thiswas rectifiedwhen extraVIBswere sent to replace thedefectiveones.

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NationalCountCentreThe National Count Centre was set up at the National Gymnasium car park due to theunavailabilityoftheVodafoneArena.ThisCentrecomprisedtwolargetentsmeasuring50by40(50x40)metres.Thesetupprovidedsufficientareafortheconstructionofcountingcubiclesforthe60Countingteamsandamplespaceforstorageareas.TheFEOorganisedairconditionersforbothtents.

AllPre-PollandpostalvoteswerecountedattheNationalCountCentrestartingfrom6pmon14November2018andcontinueduntiltheearlyhoursof16November2018.AllcountingwasundertakeninthepresenceofPollingAgents,InternationalObserversandPoliceOfficers.

TheNationalCountCentreranthree12-hoursshiftswithtwoCountManagerspershift.Shifttimeswerefrom6pmto6amand6amto6pm.TheCountManagersensuredthatthecorrectprocedureforthecountingofballotpaperswerefollowedbytheCountingteamsandalsoliaisedwith polling agents, international observers and Police Officers. In addition to the CountManagers, CountSupervisors consistingof trainerswere also engaged tomonitor the Countteams.ThereweresixCountSupervisorspershift.

No.ofStaffper12-hoursShift:

Position No.ofStaffperShift

Managers 2

Supervisors 6

Administration 15

Distribution 7

Runners 12

CountTeams 240

Theballotboxesfrom587Pre-PollVenuesand19postalboxeswerecounted.AcopyofthePORfromeachstationwasdisplayedattheNationalCountCentreinthedesignatedareas.

The countingofballotpapersandmovementofballotboxeswereundertakenwith securityprovidedbytheFijiPoliceForce.Attheendofthecountingandprocessingofresults,eachballotboxwasstoredin20ftcontainersunder24hourssecurityprovidedbytheFijiPoliceForce.

TheNationalCountCentrewasalsothereceivingpoint forallTEEscontainingoriginalPOR,PresidingOfficerRecordBookandTenderedBallots.Oncereceived,thesewereloggedinandfiledbeforetheoriginalPORwasdispatchedtotheNationalResultsCentre.

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NationalResultsCentreThe National Gymnasiumwas the venue for the National Results Centre. On Election night,14November2018,theCentrehadtwofunctions:

§ Call Centre for the receipt of the results ‘phoned in’ from the ElectionDay PollingStationsfortabulationofprovisionalresults;and

§ TabulationofFinalNationalResultsTally.

ResultsResultsManagement InformationSystem [“RMIS”]was theapplication softwareusedby theFEOtocapturethedatacontainedinthePORforms,whichconsolidatedtheseresultsintotheNationalResultsTallyforprogressivedisplayofresults.RMISalsoprovidedtheconsolidatedresultstotheSoEandtheECtopreparetheFinalNationalResultsTally.

RMISusedtwomodestoprogressivelydisplaytheresults:

• ProvisionalMode-ThemodeofoperationofRMISwheretheResultsofCountforeachCandidatefromeachPollingStationiscalledintotheNationalResultsCentreandenteredintotheRMISforimmediatepublication.Theprovisionalmodeoperatedonlyonelectionnightoruntil70%ofPollingStationshadcalledin.

• Official Mode - The comprehensive information from the original POR, including allreconciliationfields,wereenteredintoRMIS.Officialdatawasenteredusingdoubleblinddataentry,datavalidationandwassubjecttoauditmechanismspriortoreleaseintotheNationalResultsTallyandeventuallytotalledintotheFinalNationalResultsTally.TheOfficialmodewasusedtoproducetheofficialresultsoftheelection.

RMISusedthesamerolesas2014butadditionalroleswereincludedtoensureamoreaccurateandtransparentdataprocess.Thedouble-blindentryofresultsfromtheofficialPORreceivedfromeachPollingStationinvolvedtheresultsbeingenteredintothedatabasebyoneoperatorandthenindependentlyre-enteredbyanotheroperator.Thereafter,theSupervisorcheckedthedataentryforanymismatchesandallocatedtheworktotheoperatorsasrequired.

Auditchecks(ifanauditwastriggered)wereundertakenwhenanydatadiscrepancieswereidentified.TheAuditManagercheckedandobtainedtheSoE’sdecisiononanyissueswiththePOR.Inadditiontothis,QualityControlwasanewrolethatassuredthateachPORdatawasthesameasthecorrespondingdatainthesystem.

TheNationalResultsCentreManagersigned-offoneachprocessedresultsbydoingafinalQAonthee-copyof thePORwiththephysicalcopy.ThePoliticalPartyOfficerwho lookedafterpollingagentsgavethemthee-copyofthePORenteredintheRMISwiththecopyoftheoriginalPOR.

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TheRMISdatabaseincludedtheinformationlistedbelow,torecordthedataforconsolidatedreports.Resultswereabletobereportedby:

§ PollingVenue. § RegistrationSummary.§ PollingStation. § PollingSummary.§ Party. § Division–AdministrativeandLogistical.§ Audit.§ Candidate.

ThefollowingnumberofProtocolsofResultwereenteredintotheRMISsystem:

§ PollingDay–1567.§ Pre-poll–587.§ Postal–19.

WhenElectionDaybegantherewasonly16PollingStationsallocatedforpostalvotes.Afterthecollectionandverificationoftheremainingpostalballotboxesaroundthecountryonthenightof14November2018,PollingStationsforpostalvotesincreasedbyanadditional3ballotboxeswhichbroughtthenumberforpollingstationsfrom2170to2173.

ThefollowingreportswereproducedfortheSoEandEC.ThesereportswerealsoprojectedanddisplayedattheMediaCentreforviewingbystakeholdersandthepublic:

§ Nationalresultstally–votesbypartybycandidate;§ Candidateresults–votesbycandidates;and§ Generalreport–votesbyindividualcandidatebyPollingStations.

TheRMIS systemworkedeffectivelyandwas anefficientway toproduce theFinalNationalResultsTallyfortheFEOtoprovidetotheECfortheallocationofseats.

The RMIS systemwas developed with Datec for the first phase changes, then for all otherchanges this was completed by the FEO Analyst Programmer Mr. Amendra Chand and thefinalisationofthesystemwasdonebytheNationalResultsCentreManager.

TabulationofProvisionalResultsAllPollingStationswereallocatedoneofthefourdiscretetelephonenumberstotelephonetheresultsto.

TheCallCentreattheNationalGymnasiumhad100telephoneoperatorswhoweresplitintofourgroups.Theoperatorsreceivedcalls from theDivision theywereallocated toanduponreceivingthecall,directlytransferredtheresultsintotheRMISasprovisionalresults.TabulationofprovisionalresultscontinuedfromElectionnightuntil6amthenextmorning,15November2018,beforetheFinalResultsTabulationbeganat7am.

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TabulationofFinalNationalResultsTallyAll Polling Station results were tabulated for the National Results Tally at the NationalGymnasium commencing from 7am on 15November 2018 and continued until 3pm on 18November2018.TheRMISresultstabulationprocesswasundertakeninthepresenceofpollingagentsandinternationalObservers.

ThereweretwoShiftManagersworking12-hoursshifteachwhiledataentrywasdividedintothree8-hoursshiftsfrom6pmto2am,2amto10amand10amto6pm.ShiftManagersensuredthatthecorrectprocedurefortheresultstabulationwerefollowedandalsoliaisedwithotherexternalcounterpartswhorequiredclarificationorguidancefromtheNationalResultsCentre.

Intotal,2,173PORswereprocessed.AcopyofthePORstogetherwithanautomatedreportofresultsforeachPollingStationfromRMISwassubmittedtoeachpollingagent.

TheNationalGymnasiumwasasuitablepremiseforthisexercise.Itprovidedsufficientworkingareas, storage area, catering area,waswell ventilated andmaintainedwell by the premisesowner.

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CommandCentreOperationsToensurethatitisinlinewithitsfiveyearStrategicPlan2015–2019theFEOacknowledgedtheneedtodevelopaunitthatmonitorsFEOelectionprojectsatDivisionallevel.

TheCommandCentrewasestablishedtomonitorthefollowingelectionrelatedactivities:

1. DivisionalMonitoringProcess;2. InformationRequestProcess;3. CallCentreProcess;4. IncidentManagementProcess;5. ChangeManagementProcess;and6. MediaandWeathermonitoringprocess.

Atotalof14staffwereengagedtooperatetheCommandCentreandwererosteredintotwoshiftsthatnotonlyprovideservicestotheDivisionalOfficebutalsotothepublicthroughthe1500callcentreplatform.

TheCommandCentrestartedreceivingqueriesfromSeptember2018whentheVodafoneCallCentre was launched and officially closed on 20 November 2018. The following tablesummarisesthecallsescalatedthroughfrom1500aswellasdirectcallsfromPresidingOfficersandHubLeadersseekingassistance.

CallsonPollingVenueLocation

CallsonassignedPollingVenueforvoting

CallsfromElectionOfficials GeneralCalls Total

152 194 56 48 450

ReceivingofescalatedcallsattheCommandCentrewereonlyveryactiveduringPre-PollweekandonElectionDay.CallsreceivedinSeptemberandOctoberweremainlyfromEOswhowerefollowingupontheirdutystationforpolling.

CommandCentrestaffwerealsotrainedonothermainelectionprocessesinFEO’smainprojectssuchasvoterregistration,postalvotes,EOrecruitment,training,voterawarenessandcountingprocess. Such informationenabled staff toanswerqueriesandalsobeable toescalate themappropriatelytorelevantdirectorates.

The FijiMeteorological Services providedweather forecasts and also a seven days’weatheroutlookwhichwas also sent out to theDivisionalOffices andAreaOffices to assist them inmonitoringtheirteams.TheFijiRoadsAuthorityalsoprovidedlatestupdatedinformationonroadclosureswhichwerealsosentouttotheDivisionalOfficesandAreaOffices.

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Atotalof86dailyDivisionalprogressreportsweresubmittedtotheSoEasExecutiveSummaryReports from1October 2018 to theAnnouncement of the FinalNational ResultsTally. ThereportsnotonlyincludedsituationupdatesfromtheDivisionalOfficesandAreaOfficesbutalsoprogressivereportsfromtheprojectownerstohighlightthestatusoftheirindividualprojectsandtoidentifyanysetbacksthatcouldhindertheElectionDaypreparation.Thereportsalsoincludedmediaandweatherupdates.

TheDivisionaldailyreportswerealsocompiledandsubmittedweeklytotheECinformingthemofupdatesgatheredfromtheteaminthefourdivisions.

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DivisionalManagersTo ensure that the FEO achieved its goal in the five year Strategic Plan in delivering adecentralised operational service for effective and efficient service delivery, the DivisionalOfficeswereestablished.ThisalsoallowedtheFEOtoalignitsfunctiontothelegislativerolesandresponsibilitiesandalsotostrengthencollaborationandnetworkingwithstakeholderstobuildconfidenceandtrustintheFEO.

The primary role of the Divisional Offices was to ensure that all election operations in thedivisions were carried out efficiently within the approved budget and timeline. A majorchallengefacedinallthedivisionswasthevoterdistributionandtheirgeographicallocationswhichmadeplanningandschedulingofeventsforthedifferentprojectsquitedifficult.

The four DivisionalManagerswere appointed in September 2017 tomanage the DivisionalOffices in the Northern, Western, Eastern and Central. From September to December theDivisionalManagerswere attachedwith the different directorates at headquarters, to learnthoseprocessesthatweretobedecentralised.

TheorganisationstructurewasdevelopedbythefourDivisionalManagers;Mr.LasaroNaivalu(NorthernDivision),Mr.PeniNatau(WesternDivision),Mr.AtishChand(EasternDivision)andMr. Apenisa Narawa (Central Division). It was designed to ensure that all departments haddesignatedstaffintheDivisionalOfficetomonitorandcarryoutitsactivitiesasstipulatedintheFEO2018GeneralElectiontimeline.

DivisionalManager

OperationsOfficer

AdministrativeOfficer

AAEVR/Comms AALogistics RecruitmentAsst IT/EMSAA

DivisionalAdminAssistant

DivisionalDriver/OfficeSupport-2

RecruitmentAsst

VSC AreaOfficers

AreaOfficeDrivers/SupportOfficers

AdminAssistant

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Thenewstructure improved theabilityof theFEO to carryout its core functionsandothersupportingroles.ItallowedtheDivisionalManagerstodivertresourceswithinthedivisiontoproviderequiredassistancetothoseprojectsthatwereexecutedsimultaneously.

The Divisional Managers submitted daily reports to the Command Centre for SeniorManagementwhich included the threeDirectors, SoEandDSoE.The reportshighlighted thedailyactivitiesandtheelectionpreparationprogresswhichalsoreflectedotherdirectorates’preparationthroughtheDivisionalOfficeforthecommunities.

Any issueshighlighted from the daily reportsare further addressed by theDSoEduring theDirectors meeting. The four Divisional Managers reported directly to the DSoE regardingoperationalactivitiesinthedivisions.

DivisionalManagerTrainingDivisionalManagersattendedthefollowingworkshopsandtrainingtoequiptheminmanagingtheDivisionalOffice:

§ FleetManagement–OrganisedbyProcurementandAssetManagementDepartment;§ FinanceManagementandDocumentation–OrganisedbytheFinanceDepartment;§ DivisionalManagersFinancialSystem–FacilitatedbyWestpacBank;§ HumanResourceManagement–OrganisedbyHumanResourceDepartment;§ ElectionOfficialsManagement–CofacilitatedbyEMSandHR;§ ElectoralLaws–BriefingsbySoEandLegalComplianceCoordinator;§ ElectionsPlanning-FacilitatedbytheSoE;§ ElectionManagementSystem–CofacilitatedbyOperationsDepartmentandEMS;§ RiskManagementforElections–CofacilitatedbytheTechnicalAdvisors;§ AssetsandInventoryManagement–OrganisedbyProcurementandAssetManagement

Department;and§ Area Officers Workshop – Co facilitated by the Technical Advisors, DSoE and Legal

ComplianceCoordinator.

DeputySupervisorofElections

DivisionalManager-Central

AdminAssistant

Driver

DivisionalManager-Northern

DivisionalManager-Western

DivisionalManager-Eastern

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DivisionalManagersMonthlyMeetingsDivisionalManagershadmonthlymeetingswiththeDSoEtofurtherdiscussprogressofworkintheirdivisions.

In thesemeetings, other issues concerning theDivisionwould be deliberated to ensure thatotherdirectorateswerealsoaligningtheiractivitiestotheDivisionalOfficeandservicesfromtheirendwasdeliveredontime.Themeetingswerescheduledasfollows:

§ FirstMeeting:23and24May2018§ SecondMeeting:19June2018§ Thirdmeeting:17July2018§ FourMeeting:02and03August2018§ FifthMeeting:19October2018§ SixthMeeting:02November2018

WiththeguidanceoftheDSoE,theDivisionalManagersdevelopedtheDivisionalOffice’s2018GeneralElectionTimelinethathighlightedkeyimportantdatesfortheirdivisions.Thetimelinedirectlyreflectedthethreedirectoratestimelines.

DivisionalKeyEvents

• OpeningoftheDivisionalOffice:08January2018

• DisplayofNationalRegisterofVoters:

• OpeningofVoterServicesCentres:

- Suva:

- Nausori:03August2017

- Labasa:15August2017

- Nadi:23January2018

- Rakiraki:24January2018

- OpeningofAreaOffices:02April

- OpeningofVoterServicesCentresintheAreaOffice:01March

- AwarenessDrives

§ KYE1:15Marchto29April

§ KYE2:14Augustto25August

§ KYE3:19Octoberto23October

- Pre-Poll:05Novemberto10November2018

- ElectionDay:14November&17November2018

- CloseofAreaOffices:23November2018

- ReturnofMaterialstoFEOWarehouse:19Novemberto23November2018

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DifferentprojectsalsorequiredDivisionalManagerstodeveloplogisticplansandschedulestoensurethatserviceswereprovidedtoalltheformalandinformalareasintheirdivisions.ThemonthlymeetingsalsogaveaplatformtotheDivisionalManagerstoraiseconcernsonpendingservicesfromotherdirectoratesandprojectowners.

Teams in the divisionswere scheduled to filter through all informal and formal settlementswhen moving from the rural areas to the urban areas for all projects such as communityawarenessandvoterregistration.Mobileteamswerealwaysonstandbyintheofficeasrovingteamstocaterforanyspecialrequest.

ProjectsthatweremonitoredbyDivisionalManagers:

Activity Projects WorkPeriod

Weeklypollingvenueupdate PollingVenueAssessments

September2017to13November2018

1)Deploymentsofteamsforengagementwiththevoters

2)Arrangementofaccommodationandtransport

3)Distributionofpromotionalitems

KnowYourElectionDrive1,2&3

§ KYE1–15Marchto29April2018

§ KYE2–14Augustto25August2018

§ KYE3–19Octoberto31October2018

1)DeploymentofTeamstoconductvoterregistrationservices

2)Arrangementofaccommodationandtransport

3)DataBackUp

ElectronicVoterRegistration

§ 15Marchto29April2018

§ 14Augustto25August2018

§ 28Septemberto01October2018.

1)DeploymentofteamstodistributetheProvisionalVoterList

2)Arrangementofaccommodationandtransport

3)Gatheringreportsorfeedbackfromvotersondisplacementsanderrors

ProvisionalVoterListDisplay

PVL1–13Februaryto23February2018

PVL2–15Marchto29April2018

PVL3-18Septemberto28September2018

PVL4–8Octoberto14October2018

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ProjectsthatweremonitoredbyDivisionalManagerscontinued:

Activity Projects WorkPeriod

1)Arrangementswithbusinesscommunitiesonavailablespacesforservicecentresintowns

2)Arrangementofaccommodationandtransportforteams

3)Gatheringdatabackupsandreports

MassRollOutPlan-WritDay

28Septemberto01October2018

1)DistributionofVIB’stopre-pollcommunities

2)DistributionofVIB’stobusinessinthetownareas

3)DistributionofVIB’stoVoterServicesCentreforthegeneralpublic

VoterInstructionBookletDistribution

19Octoberto31October2018

1)Arrangementofaccommodationandtransportfortheteams

2)LiaisingwiththeTuraganiKoro’sforvillageinformation

3)Distributionandcollectionofelectionmaterials

4)Addressinganyissuesfromthecommunitiesorservicevendors

Pre-PollandElectionDay

Pre-poll:05Novemberto10November

ElectionDay:14November2018

1)CollectingmaterialsfromAreaOffices

2)Providingproperinventoryupdatesforassets

3)DeliveringmaterialsbacktotheFEOWarehouse

ReturnofElectionMaterialstotheFEOWarehouse

19Novemberto21November2018

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ResponsibleAreasintheDivisionsThetablebelowhighlightsthedifferentareasthateachdivisionlookedafterduringPre-PollandElectionDay.

ElectionMode Division Area PollingVenues PollingStations

Pre-Poll Northern Labasa 38 38

Seaqaqa 16 16

Nabouwalu 22 22

Taveuni 15 15

Savusavu 43 44

Western Sigatoka 12 12

Lautoka 49 50

Ba 15 15

Tavua 12 12

Rakiraki 48 48

Keiyasi 28 28

Eastern Lomaiviti 50 50

Kadavu 61 61

Rotuma 9 9

Lau 67 68

Central Suva 5 8

Nausori 9 9

Vunidawa 40 40

Navua 34 34

Korovou 10

(8Central&2West)

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ToensurethattheDivisionscouldcopewiththelogisticsoftheElectionDaywork,theareaswere evenly distributed. This allowed the Eastern Division to monitor two areas from theWesternDivisionandtwoareasfromtheCentralDivisionassummarisedinthetablebelow.

ElectionMode Division AreaOffice Polling

VenuesPollingStations

Hubs

ElectionDay Northern Labasa 60 107 6

(with2fieldoffices)

Seaqaqa 26 33 3

Nabouwalu 39 39 3

Taveuni 18 25 2

Savusavu 59 67 7

(with2fieldoffices)

Western Sigatoka 84 102 8

Lautoka 158 297 16

Ba 51 86 5

Keiyasi 10 10 1

Eastern Lomaiviti 24 24 2

Kadavu 9 9 1

Rakiraki(West) 48 55 3

Tavua(West) 29 47 3

Korovou(Central) 46 53 4

Nausori(Central) 64 105 6

(with1fieldoffice)

Central Suva 143 429 25

Vunidawa 33 34 3

Navua 30 46 3

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DecentralisedProcessesIn the 2014 General Election the majority of the activities were centralised in the FEOHeadquarters. This included the following activities which in 2018 were handled by theDivisionalManagersintheirownDivisions:

§ PollingVenueAssessments§ TrainingofFEODivisionalStaff§ Arrangementofaccommodationandtransportforprojectstaff§ MeetingswithStakeholders suchas theDivisionalAdministrativeCommissioners, the

Ministryofi-TaukeiAffairsandtheFijiPoliceForce§ Timesheetsandleaveapprovals§ Budgetplanningforprojects§ TrainingandContractingofEO

HumanResourcesintheDivisionEachDivisionalOfficewas responsible inmanaging leave and time in lieu [“TOIL”] foreachindividualstaffmemberintheirdivision.ThisensuredthatmanagerscarefullymonitoredtheworkinghoursaccumulatedbyeachstaffmemberandthatappropriateTOILwastakenforanyapprovedovertimeworkincurred.

Ineachdivision,eachdepartmenthadadesignatedstaffwhoensuredthatactivitiesinlinewiththatdepartmentwereconductedinthedivisionandthatreportswereproperlydocumented.

Divisions TotalnumberofStaffinDivisionalOffice

TotalVSC,HubandAreaOfficeStaff

StaffTotal

Northern 13 27 40

Western 28 38 66

Eastern 19 12 31

Central 11 33 44

ElectionOfficials-ContractingandRecruitmentintheDivisionsDivisional Recruitment Assistants oversaw the recruitment process in the divisions, frompopulatingthelistofqualifiedofficialstomaintainingitifsomeonewithdrew.Thisworkallowedeachdivisiontocloselymonitortheavailabilityofhumanresourcesrequired for theGeneralElection.

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Ontheeveofthe2018GeneralElectionuptothemorningofElectionDay,DivisionalOfficesstillencountered numerous withdrawals from the trained and contracted staff for a variety ofreasons. It would have been catastrophic if the recruitment assistants had not been able toregeneratetheavailabilitylistandimmediatelyre-contractnewEOs.

Divisions TotalNumberofElectionOfficials(Pre-

pollandElectionDay)

Northern 1,699

Western 3,854

Eastern 1,986

Central 3,640

TrainingintheDivisionsFEODivisionalStaff-Staffwereupskilledwithelectoralknowledgeduringtheirinductionsateachdivision.Someofthetrainingsincludedvoterregistration,PollingVenueassessments,andVoterServicesCentretrainingtonameafew.

ProjectStaffTraining –DivisionalOfficesmadearrangements for trainingvenues, trainingmaterials, trainees allowances and Trainers’ accommodation and transport which was incontrasttothe2014trainingplanning.

ElectionOfficialTraining–DivisionalOfficesweretaskedwithconfirmingEos’availability,providingatrainingvenueandarrangingformealsandrefreshmentsforthetrainees.ThisworkwascentralisedbacktoHeadquartersin2014.

Divisions TotalNumberofTrainingVenuesEngaged

Northern(9) § Labasa(4)§ Savusavu(3)§ Nabouwalu(1)§ Taveuni(1)

Western(10) § Rakiraki(1)§ Tavua(1)§ Ba(1)§ Lautoka(5)§ Sigatoka(2)

Eastern(6) § Kadavu(1)§ Levuka(1)§ Nausori(4)

Central(11) § Navua(1)§ Korovou(1)§ Vunidawa(1)§ Suva(8)

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StakeholderEngagementTheDivisionalManagersmetwiththerespectiveDivisionalCommissionerson10January2018andtheirrespectiveRokoTui’son23January2018attheFEOmainconferenceroominToorak.ThemeetingservedasanintroductiontoformallyengagebothpartiesandintroducetheFEO’splanforthe2018GeneralElection.

Fromthisfruitfulconsultation,theDivisionalManagerswereabletofurthermeetwithotherstakeholdersintheirdivisionssuchastheAdvisoryCouncillorsandtheProvincialOfficersandrelaytheFEO’splansnotonlyforPre-PollandElectionDaybutalsotheVoterAwarenessDrives.

Listofstakeholders

§ DivisionalPoliceCommissioners§ TownAdministrators§ SchoolPrincipals§ SchoolManagers§ GovernmentShippingServicesandStaff§ ProvincialAdministrators§ RokoTui’sinthedifferentprovinces§ PollingVenueowners

ProcurementandAssetManagementIn collaboration with the FEO’s Procurement and Asset Management department at theHeadquartersinSuva,DivisionalOfficeswereabletodirectlyobtainvendors’services.

Divisional Offices were tasked only in approaching possible interested service vendors andprovidingbackgroundcheckstovalidatethevendors’abilitytoprovideaqualityservice.Theseservicesrangedfromaccommodation,trainingvenues,recruitmentvenues,transportationandcaterings.

FinanceAone-daytrainingprogramonmanagingthe financialsystemfortheDivisionalaccountwasconductedbyWestpacBanktoupskilltheDivisionalManagersintoproperfinancialmanagers.

ThetrainingnotonlygavetheManagersinsightsintohowthesystemworksbutalsofurtherexpandedtheirknowledgeofproperfinancialdocumentationandbudgetplanning.

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DivisionalBudgetsperprojects:

KYE1&EVR

Division Budgeted

Northern $49,610.00

Western $74,660.00

Eastern $337,577.23

Central $431,398.85

TOTAL $893,246.08

KYE2&EVR

Division Budgeted

Northern $20,835.00

Western $34,000.00

Eastern $307,390.00

Central $32,315.00

TOTAL $394,540

KYE3&VIBDistribution

Division Budgeted

Northern $26,175.00

Western $26,480.00

Eastern $151,706.25

Central $102,555.27

TOTAL $306,916.52

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PVL1to4

Division Budgeted

Northern $19,894.00

Western $11,220.00

Eastern $194,821.85

Central $85,905.92

TOTAL $311,841.77

PrePoll

Division Budgeted

Northern $48,885.00

Western $41020.00

Eastern $530,233.00

Central $256,374.80

TOTAL $974,282.80

MockExercisesOperational processes were better understood by Divisional staff when the OperationsDepartmentconductedmockexercises tosimulatetheactivities thatwouldbecarriedout ineachproject.ThemockexercisesnotonlyengagedtheDivisionalOfficestaffbutalsotheVoterServicesCentresandtheAreaOfficestaff.ThisgreatlyassistedtheDivisionalteaminaddressingissueswhentheyfacedthem.

MockExerciseconducted:

§ ElectionSimulationExercise§ LogisticDistributionofmaterialsfromFEOWarehousetoAreaOffices§ PostalVoting–distributionandcollection§ MassRollOutPlan–voterregistrationonWritDay

ThedecentralisingoftheFEO’soperationalactivitiestotheDivisionalOfficeshasproventobesuccessfulafterthefourDivisionalManagerssuccessfullymanagedtheirrespectivedivisionsontime. It also complements and affects the logistic infrastructure for efficient delivery andcollectionofelectionmaterials.ItalsoensuredthattherewereadequateresourcesavailableforallactivitiesinthedivisionsandthatFEOserviceswereeffectivelydeliveredtoeligiblevotersacrossFiji.

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StrategicDevelopmentandCommunicationsDirectorateIndeliveringitskeymessagesforthe2018GeneralElection,theCommunicationsDepartmentoftheFEOusedbothexistingandnewchannelsofcommunications.

The use of these new channels was due largely to the ever-changing landscape ofcommunicationsandhowbrandsengagewiththeirtargetaudience.Thishasevolvedovertheyears fromsimple radioandnewspaperadvertising tomore complex integratedapproachesusinga rangeof communicationsmediums,suchas television,digitalpublicationsandsocialmedia.

Inordertocaptureourkeytargetaudiences(voters),andtoensurethesuccessfuldeliveryofcriticalinformationrelatingtotheconductofelectionsinFiji,amulti-mediaandmulti-lingualvoterawarenessapproachwasusedbasedonsixgeneralthemes:

• Whentovote• Wheretovote• Howtovote• AllFijiansshouldvote• GeneralreminderforElectionDayandPre-pollvoters• Theidealvoter

TheFEOWebsiteOne of the key projects undertaken pre-Election, was the launch of the new FEO websitewww.feo.org.fjinApril2017.Thewebsitehasbeenvastlyimprovedtodisseminateinformationtomembersofthepublic,PoliticalParties,regionalandinternationalorganisationsandmanyofFEO’sstakeholders.

Perhapsthemostsignificantsteptowardsvoterengagementviathewebsitewastheinclusionofdisabilityfriendlyfeatures.Userswithvisualimpairmentscanincreasethesizeofthefontorevenenableanautomatedreadoutofthetextonthepage.

ElectionInformationBookletThe Election Information Booklet [“EIB”] was produced in March 2018 as the primaryawareness tool, containing all relevant electoral information for the voter. These includedinstructions on how to vote, illustrationsof a standard Polling Station layout and pictorials,methodsofvoting,countingprocess,declarationofresultsandallocationofseats.TheEIBwastranslatedintoi-Taukei,Hindi,Rotuman,BanabanandChinese.

TheinformationbelowhighlightsthedistributionoftheEIBacrossthecountry.

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Totalprintedanddistributed–673,000including:

§ iTaukei–200,000§ English–335,000§ Hindi–120,000§ Chinese–5,000§ Rotuman–10,000§ Banaban–3,000

Closertothe2018GeneralElection,thiswassupplementedbybrochuresaboutspecificaspectsoftheElection,i.e.PostalVoting,Pre-poll,ElectionDay,howtovote,wheretovoteandwhocanvote.

The‘KnowYourElection’AwarenessDriveITheFEO’sVoterAwarenessCampaignforthe2018GeneralElectionwasnamedtheKnowYourElection [“KYE”]Awareness campaign. VoterAwarenessAssistant [“VAA”] teams conducted3,870voterawarenesssessionsinFiji.

ThefirstphaseoftheKYEranforsixweeksstarting15March2018to30April2018.SpecialattentionwaspaidtoPre-Pollvotingareaswithaspeciallydesignedvoterinformationforthesevoters.

Theawarenesssessionsincludedaflipchartpresentationontheelectoralprocessesleadinguptothe2018GeneralElectionaswellasgeneralinformationaboutthevotingprocess.VAATeamsalsouseda3DmodeltoillustratethevotingprocessinsidethePollingStation.VoterswerealsoprovidedacopyoftheEIBateachawarenesssession.

Awareness teamswere deployed using the rural to urban approach, starting from themostremotevillagesandcommunitiesandworkingtheirwaytowardsperi-urbanandurbanareas.During the KYE, the FEO was able to involve the EC in voter outreach programmes. ECChairpersonMrSureshChandraandothermembersvisitedcommunities,schoolsandvillagestospeakdirectlywithvoters.Theyalsoheldinformaltalanoasessionswithvoters.

TheSoEalsoheldsimilarengagementsintheNorthernDivisionaccompaniedECCommissionerMr.SimioneNaiduki.

ThetotalbudgetforKYEwas$1,15,384.88.

NumberofareasvisitedduringKYE:1,589

Central Western Northern Eastern§ 340villages§ 170

settlements§ 69schools§ 31business

houses

§ 497areasvisited

§ 52schools

§ 278villages§ 34schools

visited§ 3tertiary

institutionsvisited

§ 18businesshouses

§ 201villages§ 13schoolsvisited

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TocomplementKYE,theFEOranamassmediacampaigntoeducatevotersonthe2018GeneralElection. These included daily advertising on radio, television, newspapers and billboardadvertising.

TheFEOalsoproducedtwominuteeducationalvideoswhichairedeverynightonFijiTVandFBCTVduringprime-timeviewership.Atotalofninevideosplayedover31days.Thesubjectswere:

• Keydates• Registration• PostalVoting• Pre-Poll• ElectionDay• BallotPaperprintingprocess• CountingofBallotPapers• Results–ProvisionalandResults• SeatAllocation

Radio TV Newspaper Billboard4radioads

§ LaunchofKYE1[x2]

§ EIBnowavailablein6languages[x2]

168announcermentionsonawarenessandregistrationschedules

4radioads§ Launchof

KYE1[x2]§ EIBnow

availablein6languages[x2]

§ 24newspaperpublications

§ 3xElectionInformationBookletbillboards

ThetotalcostfortheKYEMediaCampaignwas$280,306.84.

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ElectoralCommissionmembersatthelaunchoftheKnowYourElectionAwarenessCampaignon14March2018.(L-R)MsMargotJenkins,RatuPaulaHalaiwalu,MrSureshChandra(ECChair)MrSimioneNaidukiandMsKavitaRaniga.

KYEAwarenessDriveIIThedelayintheannouncementofanelectiondateallowedtheFEOtolaunchasecondvoterawarenesscampaign.KYEIIranfrom18Septemberto01October2018-targetingmaritimeareas.

25teamsweredeployedto282PollingVenueswhichwouldbevotingunderPre-PollandwouldnotaseasilybeabletoaccessFEOservicesasthosevotersonthemainland.

Central Western Northern Eastern 10 43 44 185

105 VAA teamswere deployed in all four Divisions. 70,000 Pre-Poll voting brochuresweredistributed,alongwith30,000PersonofChoicebrochuresandapproximately600,000ElectionDaybrochures.

Newspaperpublicationoftheawarenessschedulesranfor15consecutivedaysduringthethreeweeks’ drive. The FEO also used radio announcer mentions to disseminate information forvoterswhodonothaveaccesstonewspapersorothermeansofmasscommunication.

KYEIIwasalsoheavilyusedtoencourageeligibleFijianstoregistertovoteinthe2018GeneralElection.While teamswere deployed tomaritime areas, the FEO set upmobile registrationcentresinallmajortownsandcities.

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To market these effectively, the FEO booked liveOutside Broadcastswith Fiji BroadcastingCorporationandCommunicationsFijiLtd.

DetailsofKYEIIOBsRadioStation Location/Venue Station Date/Time

CFL

Suva/IviTriangle

Nausori/Nakasi

All5stations

All5Stations

22September20189am-1pm

29September2018

10am-2pmFBC Nausori/Nakasi All6Stations 29September2018

10am-2pm

TelevisionadsalsoranonFBCTVandFijiTVurgingeligibleFijianstoregister.

ThetotalbudgetforKYEIImediacampaignwas$30,268.66whilethedeploymentbudgetforKYEIIwas$495,467.92.ThenationwidedriveconcludedadaybeforewhentheWritofElectionwasissuedon01October2018.

OverseasvoterregistrationA totalof221overseasvoterawareness/registrationsessionswere conducted from2017to2018inthefollowingcountriesandcities:

Country Cities

Australia Sydney[2];Canberra;Adelaide;Townsville;Victoria[2];WesternAustralia;Queensland[2];NorthTerritory

NewZealand Auckland[3];Wellington[2];Christchurch;SouthIsland

USA California,Sacramento[2]Seattle,SantaRosa,SanRafael,SanBruno;EastCoast

UAE Dubai,AbuDhabi

Kuwait Kuwait

Europe Switzerland,Netherlands,France,Belgium

Indonesia Jakarta

Canada Vancouver[2]

Hawaii Hawaii

UnitedKingdom London;Ireland

MarshallIslands Majuro

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Nauru Nauru

Korea Seoul

Forthe2018GeneralElection,theFEOdevelopedanoverseasvoterregistrationkitspecificallyforpostal voters.This contained theoverseasvoter registration flyer,promotionalmaterialssuchasbookmarks,wristband,PostalVoting informationbrochuresand theFEO’sLavetivitinewsletter.

FEOMediaEventsThe FEO conducted 107 press conferences fromNovember 2017 until the end of the 2018GeneralElection.Thesewerevitalinordertoengagewithmainstreammediaandpropagatekeymessagesforvotersandotherstakeholders.

43pressreleaseswereissuedinordertoupdatethemediaonFEOactivitiesduringtheWritperiod.Accreditedmediawerealsoinvitedorallowedaccesstothefollowingkeyevents:

• IssuanceoftheWrit• NominationofCandidates• NationalCandidatesListBallDraw• PrintingofBallotPapers• ShreddingofspoiltBallotPapersandoffcuts• Packingofsensitivematerial(Pre-PollandElectionDay)• DispatchofBallotBoxestotheDivisions• Receipt/verificationofPostalBallots• LaunchofPre-Pollvoting• ElectionDayvoting• CountingofPre-PollandPostalVotes(NationalCountCentre)• Entryofprovisionalresults(NationalResultsCentre)• Dataflushandentryoffinalresult(NationalResultsCentre)• HandoverofFinalNationalResultsTally• SeatAllocation• ReturnofWrit

AllFEOupdatesonElectionDaywerecarriedlivebythenationalTVnewsservicesFijiOneNewsandFBCNews.ThisisinadditiontoliveFacebookvideosrunbyothernewsorganisationsaswellastheFEO’sownsocialmediaaccounts.

MediaMonitoringIntheleaduptothe2018GeneralElection,theFEOalsocommenceditsownMediaMonitoringexercise.Dailynewsreportsrelatedtothe2018GeneralElectionwerecompiledandsenttotheSoE,theECandotherSeniorManagementstaff.

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The Media Monitoring service was also able to conduct fact-checks on articles run by themainstream media and issue clarifications as well as request corrections where necessary.Articlesweresourcedfromlocalnewspapers,localnewswebsitesandsocialmediaaccountsofnewsorganisations.MediaMonitoringalsoincludedinternationalcoverageofthe2018GeneralElection.

ThisservicewasexpandedtoincludesocialmediapagesandaccountsclosertoElectionDay.

Dailyupdatesweresentat7am,1.15pmand5.15pmfromJuly2017until30November2018.

RadioandTelevisionAdvertisingTheFEOcapitalisedonexistingchannelsofcommunication,i.e.radio,newspaperandtelevisionformassdisseminationofkeymessagesbefore,duringandafterthe2018GeneralElection.

Advertisementsonradioandtelevisionfocusedheavilyonthefollowing:

• EOsRecruitmentDrive• SMSPollingVenueLocator• NationwideVoterAwarenessdrives• ContractsigningforEOs• PostalVotingprocess• Pre-Pollvotingprocess• VIBdistribution,• ResultsApp,ElectionJingle[inEnglish,HindiandiTaukei],• Pre-Pollvenues• Whattobring(onElectionDay)

TelevisionadvertisementsAll televisionadvertisements for the2018GeneralElection– including2minuteeducationalvideoswereproducedbytheFEO.

TheCommunicationsteamincludesacameraoperator/photographerwhoisskilledatfilmingandediting.ThishasenabledtheFEOtoproduceitsowncontentfornationalTVbroadcastsaswellassocialmediapromotion.Existingstaffwereusedastalentinallvideoproductions.Allscriptswerealsowrittenin-housewithmultiplelayersofvettingandapprovals.

The FEO is now fully in control of all video content, whichwill be vital for future Electioncoverages.

The information belowoutlines the number of advertisements, and fromwhich commercialserviceprovider,bymedium.

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FijiBroadcastingCorporation

Typeofadvertisement Numberofads/spots

30secondTVadvertisements

134ads

FijiTelevisionLimited

Typeofadvertisement Numberofads/spots

30secondTVadvertisements 168

MaiTVLimited

Typeofadvertisement Numberofads/spots

30secondTVadvertisements

154(plus60x1-minsegments)

Extra30x30-secadsand6x1-minjinglesatnoextracost

RadioadvertisementsFijiBroadcastingCorporation

Typeofadvertisement Numberofads/spots

30secondRadioadvertisements 7,284advertisements

CommunicationsFijiLimited

Typeofadvertisement Numberofads/spots

30secondTVadvertisements 18,545advertisements(basedonlongtermpackagedeals)

TheFEOengagedmediaandpublicationhouseson‘packagebasis’dealstoensurethatthereisvalue for money as well as high levels of engagements. Individualizing ad procurement isexpensiveduetosmallnumberofserviceprovidersandthegenerallysimilarmarketaccess.

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WebBannercampaignA web banner campaign was also conducted on Communications Fiji Limited websitewww.fijivillage.com.Thechoiceofwebbannerwasdesignedforaparticulartargetaudience:

• ContractsigningbyEOstaff–5days• Overseasregistrationdrive–21days• Overseasregistrationdrive–40days• PostalVotingApplicationopens–36days• Pre-pollvenues–36days

CinemacampaignThereweretwocinemacampaignsrunduringtheaforementionedperiodofNovember2017toNovember2018.Thecampaignswereon:

• Contractsigning–fourweeks• AllFijiansshouldvote&ElectionJingleEnglish/Hindi/iTaukei–sixweeks.

Newspapers&MagazinesNewspapersandmagazinesprovidedanintegralcomponentofthevoterawarenessprogram.Full-page advertisements focused on voter awareness schedules, EO recruitment schedules,trainingandpaymentschedules,Pre-Pollschedulesaswellasgeneralvoterinformation.

Thenewspaperagenciesalsoallowedforinsertionsofstatisticspertainingtothe2018GeneralElection, i.e. voter registration statistics, Pre-Poll registered number of voters, Election Dayregisteredvoters,postalvoters’registrationnumberandthenumberofregisteredvotersineachdivisionincludingtheirageandgender.

The FEO was also able to secure full page wraps on the Fiji Sun which allowed for massawarenessonkeymessagesincludingthe1500SMSplatform,HowtoVote,ResultsAppandtheIdealVoter.

ElectionJingleForthe2018GeneralElection,theFEOlaunchedanElectionjingleinEnglish,Hindiandi-Taukei.Thiswasanewinitiativedesignedtoincreasevoterturnoutandgenerateinterestinthe2018GeneralElectionitself.

The30secondjinglewascomposedbyECCommissionerMsMargotJenkinswhohasdecadesofexperienceinthemarketingindustryaswellasamusicalbackground.Thejinglewassunginallthreelanguagesbythesameartist.

The Election jinglewas aired heavily on all radio andTV stations as part of the FEOmediacampaigninthe2018GeneralElection.

The jingle provided an innovative approach to engagingwith voters rather than traditionalmeansofadvertisingwhichwerepreviouslyemployed.Thevideoproductionofthejinglewasalsomanagedin-house.

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The1500CallCentreAtotalof34,561callswerereceivedbythe1500CallCentre from17September2018to20November2018.TheCallCentrewasoutsourcedtoVodafoneFijiLimited.

CallCentrestaffweretrainedbytheFEOCommunicationsDivisiontoanswerFrequentlyAskedQuestions [“FAQ’s”]. These FAQs were developed and continuously updated by theCommunicationsDivision.UptotenstaffoperatedtheCallCentrefrom7amto9pmdaily.

QueriesthatcouldnotbehandledbytheCallCentrewereescalatedtotheFEOCommandCentre.

1500SMSTextPlatformAfree1500SMSplatformwasactivatedinFebruary2018toallowvoterstofindtheirPollingStation.TheplatformwhichwashostedbyVodafoneFijiLimitedwasavailable foruseonallmobilephonenetworksandwasafreeservice.

This platformwas designed to assist the voter to find the PollingVenue that they had beenassignedto.Nearerto theElection, theFEOwasable toput furtherdetailssuchas theexactPollingStation.Thisgreatlyassistedvoterstobebetterinformedastowhichqueuetheyneededtojoin.

ThetotalnumberofSMSreceivedforthe2018GeneralElectionwas593,458forallnetworks.

Talkbackprograms Appearanceonradioandtelevisiontalkbackshowscontinuetobeapartofthevoterawarenessprogram.TheFEOhas foundtalkbackshowseffectiveespeciallywhentheSoE isonhandtoreceivecallsorqueriesandprovideanimmediateresponse.CallersfromlocationssuchastheLaugroupandNaitasiriutilisedthisplatformtoseekclarifications.

Atotalof28talkbackshowswereattendedbytheSoE,ActingDirectorStrategicDevelopmentandCommunications,andDirectorOperations.

LavetivitiNewsletterTheLavetivitiNewsletterwhichwaslaunchedinApril2017,hasseensixeditionspublishedandsuccessfullydistributednationwideduringawarenessdrives.ThenewsletterprovidesquarterlyupdatesonFEO’spreparationtowardsthe2018GeneralElection.

ThenewsletterisatributetothelateMs.ElenoaLavetivitiwhojoinedtheFEOinMay2014.Shewasastrong,dedicatedpersonwhodidnotletphysicaldisabilitieshinderherwork.

Lavetivitiini-Taukeimeans‘LiftingFiji’.

TheFEOhastodateprinted15,000copiesofthefirstandsecondedition;and10,000copiesofeditions3 to6.TheLavetiviti containsupdatesonallFEOactivities including training, voterengagement, awareness initiatives, engagementwithotherElectionManagementBodiesandinternationalorganisationsaswellasprofilesofFEOstaff.

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DuetothehighlevelofactivityandconstantforwardmomentumattheFEO,itwasseenfittopublishanewsletterwhichwouldkeepourstakeholdersuptodateonallactivities.AlleditionsoftheLavetivitiareavailableattheFEOHeadquartersinSuva,allVoterServicesCentresaroundFijiaswellasanonlineversionhttp://www.feo.org.fj/media-centre.publications-2/lavetiviti.

ASpecialEditionLavetivititocommemoratefouryearsofFEO’sexistencewaslaunchedinApril2018with10,000copiesprinted.TheFourthAnniversaryeditionallowedtheFEOtoreflectonachievements since the 2014 General Election and improvements which were to beimplementedin2018.

OtherAwarenessinitiativesDuringtheWritperiod,37billboardswereusedtopromotekeyelectoralmessagessuchas‘Findoutyourpollingvenuebytextingvotercardnumberto1500’;VIB;Howtovote(circle,tickorcross)tonamebutafew.Similarly,15standeebillboardswereputupaswelland28“ChangeofPollingVenue”banners.

BrochuresFEO distributed 670,000 brochures in roadshows, corporate events, community, schools,religiousorganisationsbusinesshousesandVIBhouse-to-housedistributiondrives,displaysatmajorretailoutlets,andalsothroughFEO’sVoterServiceCentres.Brochureswerecreatedforthefollowingtopics:

• ElectionDay• Pre-poll• Personsofchoice–votingwithdisabilitybrochure• PostalVoting

SocialMediaSocialmediaistheultimateplatformofcommunicationfortheFEO.ItallowstheFEOtoengagedirectlywithvotersandotherstakeholders.Managingourownaccountsalsomeansthat theFEOcanstrategicallypromotekeymessagesrelevanttotheoverallactivitiesoftheorganisation.

Forthe2018GeneralElection,theFEOmanagedtwoFacebookaccounts:

• FijianElectionsOffice• FijiElects2018

ThemainFEOaccountFijianElectionsOfficetargetsvoterslocallyandinternationallywhileFijiElects2018isaimedatEOswhowereemployedforthe2018GeneralElection.

However,duetothepopularityofbothaccounts,theFEOwasabletomergeitskeymessagesinordertoreachasmuchofthetargetaudienceaspossible.TheFEOCommunicationsteamwasabletoresolveanumberofvoterqueriesreceivedviatheprivatemessagingplatform.

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ThetypesofqueriesreceivedbeforeandduringtheWritperiod,wereasfollows:

• WhenistheElection• PollingVenuelocation• Howtoregister• Wheretoregister• PostalVotingapplication• OverseasVoterservices• EOsqueries• Salary/paydelays• Disabledvoterassistance• Pre-Pollschedules• Pollingtimes• Electionresultqueries

TheFEOalsousedFacebookfornewsupdatesbyrunninglivevideosofallmediaevents,pressconferencesandotheractivitiescarriedoutinrelationtothe2018GeneralElection.Todate,therehavebeen110livevideoshostedbytheFEO.

AlsoafirstfortheFEOwastheliveCCTVfeedfromthesecureFEOWarehouse,theNationalCountCentreandtheNationalResultsCentrehostedonbothFEOFacebookaccounts.These24-hoursvideofeedswereaccessibletoanyonearoundtheworld.Thefeedendedoncethe2018GeneralElectionwascomplete.

BelowisatableshowingtotalfollowersforeachFEOFacebookaccount:

FEOFacebookaccount FijiElects2018account

71,324likes

72,345followers

37,135likes

37,135followers

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FacebookstatisticsThistableillustrateshowengagementandaccessofFEOpeakedduringtheWritperiod.

ThistableillustrateshowengagementandaccessoftheFijiElects2018peakedduringtheWritperiod.

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ElectionNewsandElectionTalkThisnewinitiativebytheCommunicationsDepartmentprovedtobesuccessfulinbringingtotheattentionofvoters’first-handinformationabouttheelectoralprocessandkeyaspectoftheelectoraltimeline.

In2018,atotalof57e-NewsvideosweredevelopedanddisseminatedviatheFEOsocialmediaaccounts.

TheFEOalsohosted its in-houseLIVE talkback showElectionTalk [“e-Talk”]where seniormanagementstaff–SoE,DSoE,DirectorofOperationsandotherswere invitedtotalkonthetopicoftheweek.

ThiswasairedonFacebookLIVEgivingpublictheopportunitytocommentandaskquestionstotheguests.

TheFEOhadfourweeklye-TalksegmentsintheWritperiod.

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SpecialProjects

VoterCard2.0DuetothecontinualupdatingoftheNationalRegisterofVoterswhichisrequiredundersection5 of the Electoral (Registration of Voters) Act 2012, every voterwho has changed ormadecorrectionstotheirresidentialaddressisrequiredtoupdatetheirvoterinformationwiththeFEO.

Thispractice,togetherwiththeregistrationofneweligiblevoterswhichisdonecontinuallyhascausedtheVoterCardsstockbalancetodecreasedrasticallyoverthelastfouryears.Inlate2016,beforeorderingnewvoterregistrationcardstoreplenishitscurrentstock,theFEOdecidedtolookintoredesigningandupdatinginformationontheVoterCards.

ThenewdesignwhichwasapprovedandlaunchedbytheECinApril2017sawthefollowingimprovementstotheVoterCardswhichbecameknownastheVoterCard2.0:

• FEOcontactdetailsupdatedincludingphonenumbersandwebsiteaddress.• Customised to suit the FEOoperational needs and ability to track the number of card

issuesforavoter.• Incorporationofadditionalsecurity&safetyfeaturestoavoidcopyingandduplicationof

cards.

In keeping with international best practices, the FEO introduced the VoterCard 2.0 andpromoted it to be simple with basic and relevant information, user friendly, durable andreadable.TheVoterCardisFiji’smostuniversallyusedandacceptedIDCard.

Year1O IntroductiontoElectionsCurriculumTheFEOaspartof its2015–2019StrategicPlan,hastoensurethat there isalwaysawell-informedcommunity capableof activelyparticipating in theelectoralprocess.Apartnershipagreement was signed by FEO with the Ministry of Education to create an Introduction toElections curriculum for inclusion in theeducationsector.Thisproject is in linewithGoal9,Objective1andActivity31oftheStrategicPlan,whichistodelivervotereducationprogramtargetingnewlyeligiblevoters.

AnAustralianconsultantwasengagedbytheFEOfromtheperiodofJunetoNovember2017todevelop this electoral program forYear 10 students called “The ‘Introduction to Elections: ALearningModuleforYear10’.

ThecurriculumwhichwastailoredtotheYear10SocialSciencesubjectwashandedovertotheMinistryofEducationon11January2018consistsof:

§ StudentsWorkbook§ TeachersManual§ MockElectionKit[consistingofmockelectionmaterials]

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StudentswillusetheMockElectionKitconsistingofmockelectionmaterialstoconductamockelectionactivity in theirschools. Someof thematerials in thekit includeballotboxes,ballotpapers,votingscreens,VIBsandVoterCards.

Followedonfromthedevelopmentofthecurriculum,348teachersfrom171secondaryschoolsaroundthecountryweretrainedonhowtousethecurriculumresourceson12January2018.These teachers escalated the knowledge to more than 16,000 Year 10 students across thecountry.

Thenewmoduleenabledthestudentstohavehands-onexperienceonthevotingprocessandatthesametimepreparesthemforthenexttwoyearswheretheywillbeeligibletovoteintheGeneralElection.ItprovidesthemwithanopportunitytobetterunderstandandparticipateinanelectionandtobecomeinformedandmotivatedcitizensintheFijianelectoralprocess.

TheFEOiscurrentlyfocusingonadvancingthecurriculumbyprovidingmonitoringplansandhowthecurriculumcouldbefurtherdevelopedintotertiarylevelinFiji.

QualityAssurance[“QA”]for2018GeneralElectionThe 2018General Electionhad aQA team setup to assess and evaluate the implementationelectoralprocessesagainst theapprovedFEOplansandstandardoperatingprocedures.Theteamcomprisedeightstaff.TheteamwasledbyourInternalAuditor.

ThelegalframeworkandFEOpolices&procedureswereusedasaguidetoevaluatewhetherallelectoralprocedureswere followed for theelectionareas.An internalQAchecklistwasalsodevelopedtoguidetheteammembersonthescopeofeachelectionarea.

From01 October 2018 to 18 November 2018,when the resultswere announced, the teamworkedeitherineighthouror12hourshifts.Someoftheelectionoperationssuchasprintingofballotpapersat theprinter,packingof electionmaterials at theFEOwarehouse,NationalCountCentreoperationsandNationalResultsCentreoperationswerefunctioningfor24-hoursthereforetheQAteamwasscheduledtobepresentfor24-hoursonashiftbasis.

Duringthepre-ElectionandElectionDayperiod,QAattendedthefollowingrangeofelectoralandelectionrelatedeventsincluding:

§ From receiving of Postal Voting applications, data entry, scanning, QA process,barcodingtofilingprocess.

§ Receiving of Nomination forms from various registered party and close ofNominations.

§ NationalCandidatedrawandpublicationofcandidatenamesinnewspapers.§ PublicationofPollingVenues.§ Pre-Polltraining.§ ElectionOfficialRefresherTraining§ PresidingOfficerRefresherTraining§ Logisticstraining.§ HubLeadertraining.§ NationalResultsCentreManagementtraining.§ NationalCountCentretraining.

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§ Media publications such as election related advertisements in newspapers, radio,Facebookandmediaconferences.

§ PrintingofBallotPapers.§ Packingofelectionmaterials.§ CheckingofelectionmaterialsbyPresidingOfficersatthehuboffices.§ VerificationofPostalVoting.§ Opening ofpolls, closingof polls, counting atPolling Stations and transmission of

resultsfromPollingStations.§ CountingofPre-PollandpostalvotesatNationalCountCentre.§ Data entry of results from Protocol of Results, scanning and filing of Protocol of

ResultsatNationalResultsCentre.

TheQAreportwaspresentedtotheSoE,DSoEandtheDirectorateheads.ItcontainedissuesdiscoveredduringQAandsuggestedrecommendationsforimmediatecorrectiveactions.TheFEOwillrelyheavilyonthefindingsoftheQAfromthe2018GeneralElectiontoreviewandstrengthenelectionpracticesforthefuture.

2018GeneralElectionVisitorProgramThe Election Visitor Program [“EVP”] was a four day event, held in Suva fromMonday 12November tillThursday15November. TheFEOhadput togethera teamof three staffwhoformedtheElectionVisitorProgramSecretariat[“EVPSecretariat”]tofacilitatetheprogram.TheEVPSecretariatcomprisedtheInternationalRelationsOfficer,anAdministrativeAssistantandaPhotographer.

The FEOhosted a total of 13participants from seven countries –Australia, Fiji, Republic ofMarshallIslands,Samoa,SolomonIslands,Timor-LesteandTokelau,aswellasoneparticipantfromtheInternationalInstituteforDemocracyandElectoralAssistance[“InternationalIDEA”].Atotalof15participantshadconfirmedattendance,however,duetologisticalissues–twoofthe regional participants (fromKiribati and Federated States ofMicronesia)were unable toattend.

Selection of the local participants was based on the submission of Expressions of Interest[“EoIs”] to the FEO, which were screened based on merit, interest and the outcomes theparticipantwished to achieve from the program. The FEO received a total of 14 EoIs fromwhichfiveparticipantswereselected.

TheEVPcommencedwiththewelcomedinnerhostedbytheSoEon12November,followedbyabriefingfromtheFEOSeniorManagerson13November2018.

OnElectionDay,theEVPParticipantsvisitedthreePollingStations-VashishtMuniMemorialPrimarySchoolinNavua,FijiNationalCouncilofDisabledPersonsComplexinSuvaandtheFEOGroundShedat theUSPStathamCampus inSuva.Theparticipantsalsovisited theFEOCallCentrebasedattheVodafoneHeadquartersinTamavua.

During the day, the participants also visited the FEO Command Centre based at the FEOHeadquarters in Toorak, the FEOMedia Centre,National Count Centre andNational Results

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CentrebasedattheNationalGymnasiuminSuva. ThesevisitswerefollowedbytheElectionNightCocktaileveninghostedbytheECChairpersonattheFijiMuseum.

The program concluded on 15 November 2018 with the debriefing session at the FEOHeadquartersinToorakwiththeSoE.

Whilst the Programwas compact, it allowed for ample networking opportunities aswell asfacilitationoftheexchangeofideasbetweeninterestedFijians,regionalelectoralpractitioners,FEO Senior Managers and the EC. This was reflected through the positive comments andfeedbackoftheparticipants,thatweresharedduringthedebriefsession.ThiswasthefirsttimeFijihashostedaVisitorProgram.

ElectionManagementInformationSystem[“EMIS”]DepartmentTheEMISdepartmentwascreatedin2015.Followingthereviewofthe2014GeneralElectionitwas deemed necessary that this department take on the role of creating and looking aftersystemsanddatarequiredfortheuseinthe2018GeneralElectionandmovingforward.Thedepartmentwas created under the Executive Directorate and supported five systemswhichwere:

• ElectionManagementSystem• ElectionOfficialsRecruitmentSystem• ElectionOfficialsManagementSystem• MercuryApp• ResultsManagementInformationSystem

ElectionManagementSystem[“EMS”]TheEMSwastheapplicationusedbytheFEOtocaptureandvalidateoperationaldataforthe2018GeneralElection.Itconsistsoffivemoduleswhichare:

• PollingVenue• Logistics• Postal• PartyRegistration,and• CandidateNominations.

TheEMShadtwomodes,thetestingmodethatwasalsousedfortraining,andtheproductionmodewhichwaswherethelivedatawasusedbytheOperationsDirectorate.Thesystemcanbeaccessedbasedonroleandforsomemodulesbydivision.Thisistoensuredemarcationofrolesandalsodataresponsibilitybylocation.Forexample,aDataEntryClerkcanseeonlyvenuesintheirowndivisionfordataentryallocations.ConsistentrolesinthesystemareDataEntry,QA,Supervisor,ApproverandFinalApprover.Otherrolesarepresentspecifictothatmoduledueto

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therequirementoftheprocess,forexample,PartyRegistrationOfficerforthePartyRegistrationModule.

PollingVenueModuleThismodulelooksafterthePollingVenueAssessmentthatallowstheOperationsteamtomakeaninformedrecommendation,astheassessmentstorestheGPScoordinates,name,division,thephotosof thevenue, theavailabilityofstorageandtheavailabilityofroomsforotherPollingStations.Wealsorecordedcontactdetailsofstaff,accessofthePollingVenueandhowtogetthere.ProjectstaffwereabletorecommendthePollingVenueforuseortouseanalternativePollingVenue.

StatisticsfromthePollingVenue:

§ PollingVenueNumber-1436§ VotersAssignedtoPollingStations–2173§ VoterNumbers–637,527

LogisticsModuleTheLogisticsmoduleisusedinconjunctionwiththepollingvenuemodule.MaterialsrequiredbyeachPollingVenuearegiventothelogisticsteamtocreate‘packages.’Thesepackagesareeasy for the logistics team tobarcodeandassign toeach stationand track their return.ThelogisticsteamalsogetstheGPScoordinatesfromthePollingVenuetoplotdeliveryroutesandtypesoftransportationfordelivery.In2018itwaspossibletobarcodeandindividuallyidentifyeachpackagethatwascreatedbythelogisticsteam.

PostalVoteManagementModuleThismoduleallowsfortheFEOtorecordallvotersthatapplyforPostalVotingoncethePostalVotingApplicationprocesscommences.ThismoduleisusedonlyduringtheElectionperiod;itbeginsonAnnouncementDayforreceivingofapplicationstowhenweverifypostalvotesforcountingonElectionDay.TheDataEntryTeamenters in thedetailsof anapplicantand thedetailsarethenverifiedagainstthevoter’sregistration.

ThePostalVotingApplicationformisthenscannedanduploadedintothesystemtostorethesignatureofthevoter.DuringverificationthesystemallowsthePostalOfficertocomparethesignatureonthedeclarationformtothespecimensignatureonthescannedapplicationinthesystem. Thismade the process easier for the postal team by having this information easilyaccessible.

§ PostalApplicationsreceived–11,294§ PostalApplicationsApproved–9,180

The Postal module also allowed the team to pack packages and deliver by location. TheCategorieswereasfollows:

§ FijiInterior§ FijiOuterIslands§ FijiSpecial

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§ Australia/NewZealand§ Overseas–Pacific§ OverseasRestoftheWorld

Activity NumberApplicationsApplied 11294Approved 11257Rejected 37PackagesReturnedReceived 10320Verified-Rejected 1092Verified–AdmittedtoCount 9180Late 48

DuringtheElectionperiodthePostalTeamusedtheOverseasDivisiontodemarcatefromPre-PollandPoll.TheFEOhadusedthe2014datatoprojectthatitwouldhave16PollingStations(maximumof500ballotpapersperstation) for itsPostalVotes.However, since9180ballotpaperswereadmittedtoCount,thetotalnumberofPollingStationswasincreasedto19inlinewiththeruleofhavingamaximumof500ballotpapersperPollingStation.

Division PollingStationsPostal 19

PoliticalPartyRegistrationModuleThePoliticalPartyregistrationmoduleallowedtheLegalandComplianceteamintheFEOtoverifyandcategorisebydivisioneachmemberofthePoliticalPartyduringregistration.Thiswasdonetocapturethevoterdetailsaswellastheirsignatureandproduceapublicationintimeforgazettingandpublication.Inlinewiththelegalrequirements,thesystemverifiesthatavoterisnotamemberofmorethanonePoliticalParty.Theaddressofthevoterispeggedtoadivisionand the systemchecks that they canonlysign for theirowndivision.Thisensures that eachPoliticalPartymeetsthenumberrequiredforeachdivision.

ThesystemwasusedtoregisterthreePoliticalParties:UnityFijiwhichwasregisteredinJuly2017; HOPE which was registered on 10 February 2018 and Proposed ‘Zionist’ whoseapplicationwasrejectedon6December2017.

Thissystemreducesdataentryandverificationtimetofourdaysincomparisonto10daysinthepast.The registrationprocesshasbeenmademoreefficientand theprocessing time forapplicationshassignificantlyreduced.

TherewerefivePoliticalPartiesthatwereimportedfromtheoldsystemintoEMS.EORScrossreferencesthismoduletocheckforpartymembershipwhenanApplicantappliestoworkattheFEO.

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CandidateNominationManagementModuleThismoduleallowstheteamtoenterdetailsforcandidatesthathavebeennominatedfromeachparty.ItallowsFEOtoscanphotosandnamesofCandidatesfromvoterregistration.ItalsoeasilygeneratesfilesfromthedetailscapturedtobesenttostakeholdersforCandidateverificationinatimelymanner.OnceverificationisclearedandtheObjectionPeriodhasended,theFEOeasilygeneratestheCandidatenamesreadyfortheNationalCandidatesListBallDraw.,whichisasub-moduleinthismoduleforsimplyinputtingthenumberforeachCandidatethroughadualentrywithaSupervisorchecking foranymismatches.OncetheNationalCandidatesListBallDrawconcludedtheFEOwasabletogeneratetheVIBthroughthesystemandsenditoutforprinting.ThisprovedtobeveryhandyfortheteamasthewindowforgeneratingandprintingtheVIBwasverytight.

ThesystemwasalsoabletocalculatethenumberofBallotPapersandVIBsrequiredforeachPollingStation.

ElectionOfficialRecruitmentSystem[“EORS”]TheEORSwasdevelopedtoreplacetheRecruitmentSystemthatwasusedinthe2014GeneralElection.Theinnovationincludedinthissystemwastheabilityforapplicantstodirectlyinputintothesystemtheirowndetailsandallowedthemtositarecruitmenttest.Thiscutdownontherecruitmenttimefor theHumanResourcedepartment in theamountofpaperworktheyneededtoprocessanddataentrybytheirownteams.

Attheendoftherecruitment,applicantsattachedrequireddocumentswiththeirprintedoutApplicationFormandhandeditintotheRecruitmentteams.ThesystemallowedapplicantstochoosetheirpreferredPollingStationandrole.

Basedonthecalculationbythesystem,theFEOwasabletomoveapplicantstothesecondphaseof recruitmentwhichwas the half-day training for all EOs. The system allowed the FEEC toallocatepotentialEO’strainingvenues,datesandtimes.Attheendofthetrainingthetestmarksandtrainer’srecommendationwasenteredintothesystemtoallowtheHumanResourceteamandtheFEECtoassignthemtotheirappropriateroles.

Thesystemalsoallowedgenerateddetailstobesentforverificationtobanks,thePoliceCriminalRecordssection,FNPFandFRCAtoensurethattheFEOwouldbeabletoprocesspaymentfortrainingallowancesandultimatelyforPre-PollandPollingDaywork.

StatisticsforEORS:

§ OldestApplicant:81yearsold§ YoungestApplicant:18yearsold

Stages TotalRecruitment 20,238AllocatedforTrainingSession 30,842ContractedtoWork(EO&HL) 9,718*Numbersincludedrefreshertraininganddualroles.

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1501SMSPlatformFortheeaseofcommunicationsbetweentheFEOandfutureElectionOfficials,the1501SMSPlatformwasusedbytheteamtosendoutmessagesrequestedbytheHRandFEECteam.

BelowarethestatisticsoftotalSMSsentmonthly:

Year Month TotalSMSSent2017

July 1,345August 27,898September 13,193October 2,282November 5,981December 5,917

2018

January 5,469February 2,485March 7,361April 1,769May 2,253June 1,096July 0August 542September 505October 17,189November 13,671

ElectionOfficialManagementSystem[“EOMS”]Thiswas a system developed by the EMIS Team to help the Corporate Services DirectoratemanageEOsthatwerecontractedtoworkonPre-Poll,PollDayandtheCountTeam.ThiswouldbeeasierforboththeHRandFinanceteamtoensurethesmoothpaymentofEOswithouttheuseofMicrosoftExcelandpaperbetweenthetwodepartments.

TheEOMSimportedEOdetailswiththeirassignedPollingStationandRolefromtheEORS.Thesystem is web based and was available to the Recruitment Officer at each division to flagattendanceforeachEOafterpolling.ThiswascheckedbyQAteamintheHRdepartmentattheFEOHeadquartersbeforeitallowedtheFinancedepartmenttogeneratethepayfile.TheEOMSsystemhadafew‘smarts’builtintoreversepaymentschedulesorindividualpayments.ThepayfilewasthenuploadedtotheFinanceSystemforpayment.

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GeographicInformationSystems[“GIS”]TheestablishmentoftheGISUnitin2016provedtobeasuccessfulventurefortheFEO.Overthepast2years,theFEOhasdevelopedmapsanddatasetswhichassistedthevariousinternalDepartmentsintheirprojects.TheFEOhasalsoshareddatawithotherorganisationssuchastheFijiPoliceForce,FijiNavy,FijiMilitaryForcesandtheNationalDisasterManagementOffice.

BelowisasummaryoftheprojectscompletedbytheGISTeam:

ProjectTitle GISStaff DateCompletedPre-PollPresidingOfficersJournal JosuaKoto November32018

PollingVenueAssessmentMappingDashboard

JosuaKotoandMarikaVeikoso July2018

Pre-pollMonitoringDashboard LeoVanualailai November102018

CountCentreBallotBoxMonitoringSystem

LeoVanualailaiandJosuaKoto November162018

3DInteractivePrePollMapping LeoVanualailai October242018

LogisticsHubDeliveryMap MarikaVeikoso November122018

LiveResultsMapping MarikaVeikoso November182018

ElectionInformationLookUpMap JosuaKoto July2018

ThePre-PollPresidingOfficersJournalThe Pre-Poll Presiding Officers Journal was developed specifically as a guide for PresidingOfficerswhentheyaredeployedtotheirPollingVenuesduringthecourseofPre-Pollvoting.ItcontainsvitalinformationandinstructionsimportantforthepurposeofPre-Poll.TheroleofGISinthisdocumentwastoprovidemapsoneachPre-Pollcircuit.Therewere92teamsthatweredeployedduringPre-Poll.Therefore,theGISteamhadtocreate92differentmaps-oneforeachteam.

PollingVenueAssessmentMappingDashboardSurvey123forArcGISwasusedtoexplorethepotentialofusingafielddatacollectionapplicationvia Android phones to gather detailed information about a Polling Venue. This applicationenablesuserstofilloutadigitalformandisdirectlylinkedtoanoperationdashboardwhereitis visualised near real time upon uploading the digital form.Other capabilities include pushnotificationviaemailandautofillingofthePollingVenueAssessment[“PVA”]Form.

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3DInteractivePre–PollMappingJustbyscrollingthroughtheInteractivewebpage,onewasabletoinstantlyunderstandhowPre-PollteamsweregoingtoconductPre-PollvotingthroughoutFiji.Theprojectwasaimedatusingthemostcuttingedgetechnologyavailabletogivevoters,stakeholdersandthegeneralpublicanin-depthunderstandingofPre-Poll.

Theinformationprovidedonthis3Dmappingplatformincludes:• VotercountateachPollingVenue• ExactlocationsofallPre-Pollvenues• Theroutethatteamstooktogettothevenues• Flightpathsofaeroplanesandhelicopters• AreaOffices• Foottracks• Seanavigationalroutes• Pollingmaterialexchangesites• Historicalaerialimagery• Geographicalterrainin3D• Pre-PollVotingtimes• BallotBoxestheteamshaveataparticulartime• Teamnames• Travelmodes

At a glance, one would have gained so much knowledge of the Pre-Poll Schedules and thelogisticsinvolvedsurroundingthemovementsoftheteam.

The expected time taken to complete such a massive and complex project was 4 months.However,theprojectwascompletedwithinthreeweeks.

ThecompletionofthisprojectsignifiesthecapabilityoftheFEOtoharnessthemostcuttingedgetechnology (3D mapping) to provide the best information for its stakeholders. No ElectionManagementBodyintheworldhasundertakenaprojectsuchasthis,thereforetheprojectisperfectly aligned to the FEO’s vision statement which is to be recognised as a leader inestablishing best practice in the conduct of elections. It was viewed over 3,600 times inNovember 2018 and has an average hit of about 120 views per day (without a marketingbudget).

IthasgainedinternationalrecognitionwithintheGIScommunityandtheyareveryimpressedwiththeprojectwhichagainpromotestheFEOwithintheGISusercommunity.

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LogisticsHubDeliveryMapThepurposeofthisprojectwastogiveallHubLeadersamappingbrochurethatallowedthemtoviewthedeliveryroutesoftheirBallotBoxesfromonePollingVenuetothenext.Therewereatotalof101brochuresprintedanddeliveredtoHubLeaders.

Eachbrochurelistedthefollowing:

• ListofPollingVenuesassignedtoeachhub• LogisticalroutesfromthehubstoeachPollingStation• Displayoftraveltime,traveldistance,andstopdispatchtimefromthehubtoeach

PollingStation• Emergencycontactsdetails• Logisticcontactsdetails

AMobileApplicationof thehubdeliverymapprovidedwitha link fromabarcodewhich isengravedatthebackofthebookletwhichmeantthatHubLeadersshouldbeabletoviewthemaponanymobiledevice(AndroidorIOS).

NationalCountCentreBallotBoxMonitoringSystemThisprojectwasaimedatnotifyingstakeholdersat theNationalCountCentreof thecurrentstatus and progress of counting. By viewing the dashboard, one would instantly know thenumberofBallotBoxesreceived,numberofBallotBoxesbeingcountedandthenumbersthatwereyettobecompleted.ThiswasmonitoredbyusinganapponasmartphonewhichscanstheBallotBoxbarcodesandautomaticallyupdatesthedashboardinstantly.

TheprojectwasthemaintrackingboardattheNationalCountCentreasitgaveallstakeholdersattheCentrealiveupdateoftheprogressofthecount.

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Pre-PollMonitoringDashboardThe purpose of the projectwas togive theOperationsDirectorate andPre-Poll CoordinatorMr.VilliameVuiyanucaaconstantupdateontheprogressofPre-PollduringthePre-Pollperiod.Theprojectfeaturedamap,numberofawaitingPollingVenues,numberofPollingVenuesthatwereinprocessandthenumberofPollingVenuesthatwerecompleted.

ElectionsInformationLookUpMapThisWebappwasinitiallycreatedforriskmanagementintheeventthatanincidentoccurredinthefieldthatneededimmediateattention;forinstance,theimmediateevacuationofstaffwhenanaturaldisasteroccurredorifsomeoneneededimmediatemedicalattention.

Theapplicationincludesthefollowingcapabilities:

§ Locatethenearestfacility(emergencyorPollingVenues)usingasetbufferdistance(figure1.0)

§ Detaileddrivingdirectionstoandfromfacilities§ DetailedinformationonaPollingVenueoremergencyfacility

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TheWebapphasextendeditsreachtotheHRdepartmentwheretheyneedtoallocatePollingDayWorkerstotheirnearestPollingVenues.AsimpleusecasewouldbesearchingforPollingVenuesandgettingitsexactlocationonamapandapopupofthePollingVenuedetailswillbeshownsuchasthemanualcode,votercountorarea.

Figure1.0showsthebufferdistanceandthelistofavailablefacilitiesisontherightsideofthescreen

Figure2.0showsthedetaileddirectionsfrompointAtoB

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ElectoralSecurityAdvisoryGroup[“ESAG”]The ESAG was established on 17 November 2016 to discuss and evaluate security relatedmattersspecificallyrelatedtoelectoralactivitiesandprovidethenecessaryrecommendationstotheFEO.

A Terms of Reference [“ToR”] was signed by the FEO, the Fiji Police Force and the FijiIndependentCommissionAgainstCorruption[“FICAC”]toconvenetheESAGcommittee.

TheESAGischairedbyFEO’sDirectorOperationsandthemembersarerepresentativesofthethreeorganisationsasoutlinedintheToR.Thecommitteehelditsfirstmeetingon25January2017.Sincethisfirstmeetingthecommitteehasbeenmeetingregularly,onceamonth,todiscusssecurityandriskrelatedissuesonthevariouselectoralprocessesoftheFEO.

CoreResponsibilities:

• ReviewandanalysetheFEOOperationsPlansto identifyandhighlightsecurity issuesthatarelikelytoarise;

• Based on the issues highlighted above, provide feedback and recommendations toresolvethesecurityissues;

• UtilisetheFEOOperationsPlanstomakenecessaryarrangementstoproperlydischargetheirrespectivedutiesundertheElectoralAct;

• Makeuseofthelatesttechnologyandmethodologytoensureefficientandsecureconductofelections;

• Establish an appropriate communication mechanism between all the organisationsduringtheElectionperiod.

ESAGAchievements1. ESAGStandingOperatingProcedures[“SOPs”]

Itwas agreed after the secondmeeting of the ESAG that SOPs are needed for the effectivedeliveryofresponsibilitiesdefinedintheToR.ArepresentativeeachfromFEO,theFijiPoliceForceandFICACwereidentifiedtodraftthedocumentsbeforethecommitteerequestedtheexecutivearmofESAGfortheirendorsement.ThecommitteehadidentifiedthreeproceduresthatwereneededfortheeffectivefunctionofESAG. After the developments of these SOP’s and thorough vetting by the committee, thedocuments were then submitted to the executive arm of ESAG who then endorsed theprocedureswhichwere:• ElectoralSecurityAdvisoryGroup(ESAG)ComplaintsProcedure;• ElectoralSecurityAdvisoryGroup(ESAG)SecurityProcedure;and• ElectoralSecurityAdvisoryGroup(ESAG)RepresentationandCommitteeProcedure.

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2. SecurityPlanforthe2018GeneralElection

As per responsibilities listed on the ESAG ToR, the committee is expected to discuss anddeliberateontheFEOOperationsPlaninordertoidentifyandhighlightsecurityissuesthatarelikelytoarise.

SincetheFijiPoliceForcewastaskedwithprovidingsecurityforthe2018GeneralElection,itwasonlyappropriatethattheydevelopedthesecurityplanbasedontheFEO’sOperationalPlan.

Basedonthis,theFEOhadidentifiedthefollowingareasfromtheirOperationalPlanasbasisforthedevelopmentofaSecurityPlanduringthepre-Election,Electionandpost-Electionperiods.

• PollingVenues• FEOHQOffice• Warehouse• FEODivisionalOffices/Warehouses• PostalVotingVenue• Pre-PollVoting• NationalCountCentre• NationalResultsCentre• CompanythatwillbeprintingBallotPapers• Logistics-deliveryanddispatchofelectionmaterials• HubsandFieldOffices• DestructionofBallotPapers

TheFEOhadalsoshareditsPollingVenueProvisionalListwiththeFijiPoliceForcefortheirsecurityanalysisandthefeedbackfromtheFijiPoliceForcepersonnelonthegroundhadbeenpositive.

TheFijiPoliceForcealsoallowedtheFEOtouseitsPolicestationsandpostsaroundthecountryas Hub offices. These Hubs were storage points during the dispatch and return of electionmaterialstoandfromthePollingStations.

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ElectionDisabilityAccessWorkingGroup[“EDAWG”]The EDAWG was established on 31 August 2016 to look at ways of making the electoralprocessesinclusiveforpersonswithdisabilities.AToRwassignedbytheFEO,the13DisabilityRepresentative Organisations, Fiji National Council of Disabled Persons [“FNCDP”] and thePacificDisabilityForumwhichestablishedtheworkinggroup.

TheworkinggroupwasspecificallytaskedtostrengthenworkalreadydonebyDisabledPeoplesOrganisations, FEO’s experience on disability issues as well as identify measures such asproceduralreformsandspeciallytargetedmaterialsthatwillempowerpersonswithdisabilitiestoparticipateinelectionsandpoliticalprocessesalongsidetheirfellowcitizens.

EDAWGischairedbytheFEODirectorOperationsandthemembersarerepresentativesofalltheaffiliatedorganisationstotheFijiNationalCouncilforDisabledPersonsincludingamemberfromthePacificDisabilityForum.Ithasatotalof14membersandtheworkinggrouphelditsfirstmeetingon03October2016.

RolesandResponsibilitiesofEDAWG:The roles and responsibilitiesof EDAWGwere designed to improve access forpersonswithdisabilitiesinallaspectsoftheelectoralprocessinFijiby:

• EnsuringpersonswithdisabilitiesgetanopportunitytoaccessaVoterRegistrationCard.Personswithdisabilitiesmayrequest formobileregistrationtotheextentpossible inordertoberegisteredandgetaVoterCard.

• Selecting accessible voter registration and Polling Stations. All voter registration andPollingStationlocationsshouldbeaccessibletoallpersonswithdisabilitiestotheextentpossible.

• Conducting civic and voter education in all accessible formats. All civic and votereducationmaterialsshouldbeunderstandablebyallpersonswithdisabilities.

• MechanismsshallbeinplaceonalternativevotingmethodssuchasPostalVoting.• VoterswithdisabilitiesshouldbeabletotheextentpossibleaccesstheFEOwebsite.• Electionresultsshallbeprovidedinasmanymediumsaspossiblesoastoallvoterswith

disabilitiestobeinformed.• AllPollingVenueandPollingStationlayoutsshallbedesignedtotheextentpossiblein

anaccessiblemannertocaterforvoterswithdisabilities.• Totheextentpossibleweshallallowvoterswithdisabilitiestheopportunitytotakepart

invotereducationprograms.• TheEDAWGshallrecommendtoprocurematerialssuitableforvoterswithdisabilitiesto

theextentpossible.

EDAWGMembership:• FEO• FijiNationalCouncilforDisabledPersons• FijiSocietyfortheBlind• CounterstrokeFiji

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• FijiDisabledPeoplesFederation• FijiAssociationoftheDeaf• FijiParalympicsCommittee• FijiCrippledChildren'sSociety• SpinalInjuriesAssociationofFiji• UnitedBlindPersonsofFiji• WesternDisabledPersonsAssociation• PsychiatricSurvivorsAssociation• FijiVocationalTechnicalTrainingCentreforPersonswithDisabilities• PacificDisabilityForum

EDAWGAchievements:1. VoterRegistration

Itwasagreedinthefirstmeetingon03October2016bytheworkinggroupthattheFEOneededtoidentifyandverifythenumberofvoterslivingwithdisabilitiesthatarecurrentlyregisteredintheNRV.ThedataneededforthisverificationwastobesubmittedtotheFEObythevariousDisabledPeoplesOrganisations.AtemplatewasdesignedbytheFEOinorderfortheDisabledPeoplesOrganisationstosubmitthecorrectdata.

ItwasalsodiscussedthatthistemplatewouldbethebasisforinformationcompilationandinthecasesomeofthesememberswerefoundtobemissingintheFEOdatabase,theFEOwouldhave sufficient information to try and register them. Thiswould ensure that the committeecompliedwiththeirrolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedintheToRwhichistoregisterpersonslivingwithdisabilitiestotheextentpossible.

VoterRegistrationteamswerelocatedineasytoreachlocations.Theseenabledvoterstoeasilyaccesstheseteamsforvoterservices.TheteamswerealsosenttovillagesandsettlementsacrossFijitoregisternewvoters,includingthosewithdisabilities.TherewasalsoaspecialrequestfromFNDCPtosendmobileteamstovariousdisabilityforumsthatwasheldaroundSuvatoregistereligiblevotersintheircommunity.Thiswaswelcomedbypersonswithdisabilitiesastheydonothavetotravelfartogetregistered.

2. AccessiblePollingVenues

IntheintroductorysectionofthePollingVenueAssessmentManual,thesecondparagraphtalksabouttheimportanceofsiteaccessibilitytoPollingVenues.

Accessibilitymustbeofparamountconsideration.Havingtotravellongdistancesforlonghourstotheirnearestvotingsitewillbeadeterrentforvoterstoattendtovote,particularlywheretransportationmaynotbereadilyavailable.SpecialcareneedstobetakenthatPollingVenuesareaccessibletopersonswithdisabilities,bothinaccessandconditionoftheactualpremisesand where they are located. The “Polling Venue Assessment Form” has special provision forpersonswithdisabilities.Thesewerethefollowingconsiderationsintheform:

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• Vehicleparkingfacilities• UseofgroundlevelfacilitiesasPollingVenues• Railingsprovidedonlandings,stairsandramps• Non-slipsurfacesonPollingVenuearea• Entrance,exitandinternaldoorwaysofsufficientwidthtoallowfreeaccessandsuitable

forspeedyevacuationincaseofemergencies• AvailabilityofawaitingareaoracoveredareaoutsidethePollingVenueforvotersto

waitbeforetheyenterthestation

Assomeoftheabovemaynotbeeasilyobtainedorcarriedout,alternativesdiscussedwere:

• PortablerampscanbesuppliedtoPollingVenuestoassistdisabledvoteraccess• Temporarycoveringstobesuppliedinordertoprovidevoterswaitingtovotewith

someshelter

AProvisionalListofthe2018PollingVenueswasalsosubmittedtotheFNCDPfortheirperusal,analysisandwererequestedtoprovideafeedbackontheselectedPollingVenues.Thisensuredtheneedsofvoterswithdisabilitieswereaddressedandmettotheextentpossible.

3. VoterEducation&Awareness

IntheFEO'sStrategicPlandocument,thereisanactivitythatdealsdirectlywithaccessibilityissues. The activity is "Assessment of requirements for voters with disabilities and specialneeds”.ThisrequirestheFEOtoworktowardsways inmakingtheelectoralprocessesmoreinclusiveforpersonswithdisabilities.

Voter education campaigns are an ideal opportunity for elections management bodies anddisabled persons' organisations to engage personswith disabilities in the electoral process.Creative,inclusiveandaccessiblevotereducationcampaignsempowermenandwomenwithdisabilitiesascitizensandvoters,ensuringthatallvotersareabletoparticipateinelections.

TheFEOproducedawarenessmaterials in largeprintwhichwere readable bypersonswithvisualimpairments.FEOalsomadepresentationstotheDisabledPeoplesOrganisationsontheplansandprogramsforitsawarenesscampaigns.ThisprovedtobebeneficialastheEDAWGmemberswereabletoanalysetheeffectivenessoftheseprogramsonpersonswithdisabilitiesand gave their recommendations on how the awareness programs could be improved andenhancedtobettersuittheintendedaudience.

4. AlternativeVotingMethods

TheFEOmadepresentationstotheEDAWGonalternativevotingmethodssuchasPostalVotingwhichwasanoptionavailableforpersonswithdisabilities.ThisavenuewaswellreceivedbytheDisabledPeoplesOrganisationsandwaspromotedforpersonswithdisabilitieswhowishtovotefromthecomfortoftheirhomes.

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5. AccessibleFEOWebsite

OneofEDAWG'smainroleistoensurethatpeoplewithdisabilitiesareabletoaccesstheFEOwebsite.On05April2017,theFEOreachedanothermilestonebylaunchingarevampedwebsitewithprovisionsforpeoplewithdisabilities.

Voterswithlowvisionarenowabletochangefeaturesinthewebsitetosuittheirneedoncethey have accessed the website. They are able to click on the wheelchair sign which says"Accessibilityhelpersidebar"whichwillshowthemtextson featuresthat theywould liketochange.

6. EORecruitment

AspartoftheinclusiveapproachbytheFEO,EDAWGmemberswereencouragedtoapplyforthepositionofEOsforthe2018GeneralElection.ItwasencouragingtonotethatafewmembersoftheEDAWGweresuccessfulintheirapplicationsandwereofferedemploymentduringPollingDay. Persons with disabilities worked in various roles during the 2018 General ElectionincludingasPresidingOfficers.

7. EOTrainings

Members of the EDAWG committeewhohad secured positions as EOs for the 2018GeneralElectionwererequiredtoundergotrainingfortherolestheyhadappliedfor.

The FEO team provided a conducive andwelcoming training environment for personswithdisabilities.Specialtrainingprovisionsweremadetocaterforthosethatrequiredspecialneeds.

8. ElectionMaterials

TheFEOdevelopedanAssistedVotingchartwhichfeaturesthe9votingsteps.Thischartwasuseful forvoterswithspeechandhearing impairments.The chart explained thestepsof thevotingprocessinaPollingStationinapictorialformatwhichcanbeeasilyunderstoodbyvoters.

ApartfromtheAssistedVotingchart,theFEOhadamagnifyingglassavailableinitspollingkits.Thismagnifyingglasswasavailable forusebyvoterswhohadpartialvision impairmentbutcouldstillseeandread.

EachPollingStationwasalsoequippedwithalightandportablevotingscreenwhichcouldbecarriedtoawheelchairuseroravoterrequestingassistanceoutsideofthePollingStation.Thiswastoensurevoterswereabletocasttheirvotewithoutbeingdisfranchisedbytheirmobilityandmovement.

9. AssistedVoting–OutsideaPollingStation

InApril2018,theFEOdevelopeditsproceduresforvotingoutsideaPollingStationforvoterswho are unable to access their allocated Polling Station. This procedure gave the PresidingOfficerspowerstosuspendpolling inaPollingStation inorder to take theVoterList,BallotPaper,InkandBallotBoxoutofthePollingStationwhenassistingthevoterwhocannotcomeintothePollingStation.

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This provision was later enhanced to allow the Presiding Officer to assist a voter within300metresofthePollingStationpremises.

10. AssistedVoting–InsideaPollingStation

With thepassingof theRightsofPersonsDisabilityAct2018, theFEOamended itsAssistedVotingProcedurestocomplywiththeAct.

Initially, Presiding Officers were the designated persons providing assistance to the voters.However,withtheenactmentofthenewlaw,theproceduresofassistingvoterswereamendedtoallowforavotertonominateapersonoftheirchoicetoassistthem.

Withthisinplace,theFEOhadtoensurethatthisnewprocesswasstringentandrobustenoughto deter those that would take advantage of this provision by assisting voters on multipleoccasions.Tosafeguardthesecrecyofthevoteofeachvoterrequiringassistance,theFEOmadecertain criteria for those thatwould be nominated to provide assistance to a voter inside aPollingStation.

Thecriteriawereasfollows:

• Personprovidingassistancehastobearegisteredvoter• PersonprovidingassistancecanonlyassistuptotwovotersinsideaPollingStation• Person providing assistance has to read a brochure which sets out the rules for

assistingvoters.Oncetheyhaveagreed,thePresidingOfficerwillnotedownthevoterdetailsof thepersonprovidingtheassistance in thePresidingOfficerRecordBookbeforeallowinghimorhertoprovidetheassistance

• PresidingOfficerswillwitnesstheassistancetoensurethatthevoterschoiceisbeingfollowed.

TheMercuryAppTheEMiSteamneededtoensurethatpackagesproducedbythelogisticssystemwasabletobetrackedinareaswheretheFEOnetworkwouldnotreach.TheMercuryAppwasdevelopedbyourprogrammerNathanielRajutoenableFieldOfficersandHubLeaderstoscanthebarcodeonoursensitivepackageswhentheyhadreceivedordispatchedit.

ThisAppalsoallowedDivisionalMangersandtheLogistics teamtotracktheirpackagesandensureditreachedeachPollingStationontimeandreturnedtotheWarehouse.TheApplicationwasloadedontosmartphonesandallowedtheusertoselectthestatus,scanthebarcodeandsendthedatatotheFEO.

TheAppworkedinareaswheretherewasnoconnectivityandallowedtheusertosenddatawhentheywereinnetworkrange.LogisticsstaffintheHeadOfficewerethenabletoaccessthisdataandupdatetheEMSLogisticsmoduleofthepackages’status.

Sincethiswasthefirsttimeitwasused,someHubLeadersdidnotutilisetheAppandsentinreportsofdeliverythroughemailsorphonecallstotheirAreaOfficers.

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NumberofBallotBoxesandTemperEvidentEnvelopesscanned:

Status BallotBox TEE

InTransitAfterVoting 1152 1189

InTransitBeforeVoting 84 14

ReceivedAfterVoting 517 533

ReceivedatPollingStation 1115 107

ReceivedBeforeVoting 790 83

TheConsolidatedReportsServerThough theEMSsystemhad itsownreports, theEMIS teamcreatedaConsolidatedReportsServer,whereeachprojectowneranddepartmentwasable tolog inandgeneratetheirownreportsatanytime.Dependingonone’slogin,apersonwouldonlybeallowedtoaccessreportsfortheirownprojectordepartment.

Theteamwasalsoflexibleinensuringthatad-hocreportswereabletobegeneratedseparatelyonrequest.OneofthemainfeaturesoftheReportwastheabilityfortheEMISteamtodesignandgeneratetheVoterListforPre-Poll,PollandVenueQueueController.Thisdocumentwasaccessibleonlybyalimitednumberofdesignatedstaff.

TheFollowingisabreakdownofthereportsgeneratedonthisplatform:

• EORS–37Reports• EMS–24Reports

EMSandResultsSecurityAuditAs part of the project plan the EMIS Department engaged an independent cyber securityevaluationofkeyFEOsystems.TheFEOengagedPriceWaterHouseCoopersNewZealandtoundertaketheassessmentapplyinginternationallyrecognisedstandardsforsecuritytesting.

TheapproachtakenduringthistestingwasthattheFEOwouldrectifyanyvulnerabilitiesfoundandthereafterreportbacktothecompanysoastoensurethatattheendoftheexercise,thevulnerabilitieswereproperlyresolvedandtheFEOsystemsweremeetingindustrystandards.Additionaltestingwascarriedouttoensurethattheworkconductedhadeffectivelyaddressedtheissues.

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Thesystemsauditedwasasfollows:

System Comments Dates

ElectionManagementSystem(EMS)

EMSApplicationTestandCodeReview

01June2018–28September2018

ITNetwork AspartoftheEMSAudit:NetworkArchitecture,ExternalandInternetTesting;InternalTesting

01June2018–28September2018

ResultsManagementInformationSystems(RMIS)

RMISApplicationTestandCodeReview

20August2018–17October2018

Re-Test(26October2018–13November2018)

ResultsWebsiteandResultsAPI

ApplicationTestandExternalandInternalTesting

20August2018–17October2018

Re-Test(26October2018–13November2018)

StatisticsfromtheAuditofResultstools:ResultsWebsiteandFEOResultsApp

ResultWeb&API

Findings Resolved Pending Notes

CriticalRisk 1 1 0 Completed

HighRisk 3 3 0 Completed

MediumRisk 2 2 0 OnewasNotApplicableasthisisduetohostingservicesprovided.

LowRisk 3 3 0 Completed

ResultsManagementSystem

RMIS Findings Resolved Pending Notes

HighRisk 3 3 0 Completed

MediumRisk 1 1 0 Completed

LowRisk 2 2 0 Completed

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TheResultssystemswent througha re-testof all its resolutionsdue to the sensitivityof itsnatureasthemostoutwardsfacingsystemsoftheFEO.

FEOResultsAppThe FEOResults Appwas developed to provide voters and public direct access to the 2018GeneralElectionresults.TheAppwasdeveloped in-housewithoutanyvendorcollaboration.Theappenableduserstodownloaditontheirmobiledevices(AndroidandIOS)andbeabletoviewresultsinrealtimewithnotificationsonwhenresultswerebeingupdated.

Theapp featuresallowedusers toviewresults informationbyParty,CandidatesandPollingVenues.UserscouldviewthebreakdownofresultsbyCandidatesforeachPollingVenue.TheAppalsoprovidedstatisticalinformationoftotalvotesofPoliticalPartiesasapiechartandvoterturnoutasabargraph.

AndroidStatistics

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iOSStatistics

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FinalNationalResultsTally

TheFinalNationalResultsTallywashandedtotheECon18November2018.

BelowisthetableoftheresultsbyPoliticalParties:

Name VotesFijiFirst 227,241SocialDemocraticLiberalParty 181,072NationalFederationParty 33,515UnityFiji 6,896HumanityOpportunityProsperityEquality 2,811FijiLabourParty 2,800

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ConclusionInpreparationsforthe2018GeneralElection,theFEOpublisheditsFEOStrategicPlan2015-2019detailingitsgoals,objectivesandactivitiesthatwereinlinetothe2013Constitutionandotherrelatedelectorallaws.Inimplementingtheactivitiesinthestrategicplan,theFEObeinganindependentbodyensuredthat professionalism, transparency, integrity and the highest standards of conduct andinternationalbestpracticewereadheredtobyFEOstaff. TheFEOisawareofvariousissueshighlightedbyitsQAteamandthosereceivedfromexternalstakeholderssuchasvoters,generalpublic,politicalpartiesandotherinstitutions.ThesewillbedulyaddressedinplanningforthenextGeneralElection.The2018GeneralElection,beingthesecondelectionconductedbyafullyestablishedelectionmanagementbodyallowedforthedevelopmentandimplementationofvariousinitiativesthatnotonlyenhancedvoterservicesbutallowedtheFEOtoimproveitsefficiency.TheFEOestablishedanenvironmentthatallowedstafftopursueinnovationsinrespectivefieldsresulting insignificantadvancements inelectionmanagementanddelivery. It isproven thatsuchattitudesandencouragementsarenecessaryfordevelopmentinFijiandthe2019to2023cyclewillpresentevenmoreopportunities. TheFEOlooksforwardtoachallengingyetrewardingfuture.