ELECTRONIC voter registration in the country will begin in July. And Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama will receive the first voter registration card.
The registration process is expected to start on July 3 and last eight weeks.
Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said government was guaranteeing universal suffrage-one person, one value and one vote.
“Comprehensive and thought out logistical planning is necessary to ensure that each and every Fijian has the opportunity and ability to register,†he said.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said with a population of almost 900,000 spread across more than 110 islands, the scale of the undertaking was immense.
He said the logistical and technical requirements for this process, especially transportation, were complex while over 1000 Fijians would need to be trained.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the Australia and New Zealand governments had facilitated experts to work with the Fijian government in registering voters for the general elections scheduled for 2014.
These experts will join a logistical expert from the Republic of Fiji Military Forces in creating a deployment plan for the upcoming electronic voter registration (EVR) period.
The team is headed by Major Isoa Loanakadavu and includes Australia-based United Nations/UN Development Program electoral operations consultant, William Hogan, and New Zealand’s Electoral Enrolment Centre operations manager Mark Jones.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said: “The involvement of outside expertise demonstrates once again that the Fijian government is willing to work with international partners for the benefit of all Fijians.
“The combination and collaboration of these partners will help ensure the best possible results in the upcoming voter registration.â€
The team will work in collaboration with Canadian EVR firm, CODE, Inc.