The Fijian Electoral Commission is developing a new set of procedures for political parties ahead of the nation's next general election in a move aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability.

The current government under Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka last year tasked the Fiji Law Reform Commission authority for a detailed review of the Electoral Act 2014, the Electoral (Registration of Voters) Act 2012 and the Political Parties Act of 2013 to "strengthen democratic processes and modernise the electoral framework".

That push stemmed from concerns for Fiji's electoral laws from the legacy of the previous Frank Bainimarama government where electoral laws that were enacted had long been criticised by opposition parties, civil society groups and some legal experts as overly restrictive in regard to the rights of political parties, campaign regulations and freedom of expression.

The Fiji Law Reform Commission came out and said a review should consider a raft of changes to the powers of the Supervisor of Elections, electoral offences, electoral timelines, the neutrality of electoral institutions and also measures to improve women's political representation.

Electoral Commission chairman Justice Usaia Ratuvili noted the framework for new rules at the ballot box would formally document election procedures that previously were discussed and were in the works for more than a decade but had never been clearly defined nor ratified.

"We have been talking about this since 2014," Justice Ratuvili said.

"It doesn't mean there have been no subsidiary regulations.

"There have been no rules, so we are really excited.

"The commission will continue developing new procedures for more legitimate functions."

There has been several controversial incidents and longstanding political concerns since which have driven calls for new electoral rules and reforms on the Melanesian islands.

The most prominent recent controversy was from the 2022 general election when the Fijian Elections Office's results online app experienced a technical malfunction that affected the publication of provisional results, leading to public confusion and allegations the system had been compromised.

Election officials have maintained the issue was limited to the results display system and did not affect the vote-counting or final official results, which were conducted manually under current legal procedures.

The glitch damaged the public's confidence in the democratic process, prompting calls for stronger procedures and greater transparency, in addition to improved technology.

Under Fiji's electoral act, the Electoral Commission has the power to introduce new rules, including on the registration of both voters and political parties, on election campaigning standards, vote counting, the declaration of final results, and the handling of complaints and appeals.

But any new rules must be consistent and in line with the current constitution and its electoral act, the Electoral Commission has ruled.

Justice Ratuvili said the commission was also reviewing rules over the governance of political parties to ensure they are aligned within Fiji's legal framework to provide greater clarity to stakeholders.

He said the commission had advised the relevant authorities of the process that also includes the Registrar of Political Parties, High Court of Fiji, the Constitutional Offices Commission and the Parliament of Fiji while continuing to refine the procedures before they are made public on the commission's website.

"This is not the first time that the Electoral Commission has developed rules and procedures," Justice Ratuvili added.

There has been further concern about the electoral system using nationwide proportional representation system voting, which allows candidates with relatively few personal votes to enter the national parliament solely on the basis of their party vote allocation amid MPs also having no geographic constituencies.

Justice Ratuvili said the commission would continue engaging with political parties to consider all option as it finalised the framework.

"We encourage all stakeholders to familiarise themselves with these rules and procedures once they are published," Justice Ratuvili said.

The new rules and procedures are expected to provide a clearer guidance on how the commission carries out its responsibilities, particularly in relation to the administration and oversight of political parties in preparing for the elections.