Fiji strengthens electoral integrity through new partnership

Fiji has taken an important step toward protecting its electoral processes from online threats with the signing of a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) and the Online Safety Commission (OSC) on 4 December 2025.

The agreement formalises cooperation between the two institutions on monitoring and responding to misinformation, disinformation and cyber harm in the lead-up to the 2026 elections. Under the MoU, the FEO and OSC will work jointly to detect harmful online content, coordinate responses to emerging digital threats, and strengthen public awareness around safe online behaviour. 

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa emphasised that the partnership is ultimately about protecting citizens’ trust in democratic processes. Online Safety Commissioner Filipe Batiwale highlighted that coordinated action, rather than isolated institutional responses, is now essential given the scale and speed of online mis/disinformation around elections.

The timing of the agreement is particularly significant, as the FEO has confirmed that municipal elections will take place in September 2026, followed by Fiji’s next general election later in the year. With multiple nationwide electoral processes ahead, the new partnership strengthens Fiji’s preparedness to manage online narratives and reduce risks of digital interference. 

The MoU also builds on dialogue and collaboration encouraged through the Protecting Electoral Processes in the Information Environment project, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (FFO) and implemented by International IDEA. Specifically, during the project’s mapping and roadmap phases, participants highlighted the importance of stronger inter-agency cooperation on information integrity, which helped prompt further discussions between the FEO and the OSC.

Since late 2023, the project has supported trust-building and structured dialogue among Fiji’s electoral stakeholders. In this context, engagement between the FEO and OSC, previously limited, has evolved into a more formalised and sustained institutional relationship aimed at strengthening information integrity around elections. 

This latest milestone underscores the growing commitment across project countries to address malign and influencing practices in the information environment and reinforces Fiji’s momentum toward more transparent and resilient electoral processes ahead of a major voting year.