Proposed ‘FijiansFirst’ Registration Rejected

The Registrar of Political Parties, Ana Mataiciwa, has rejected an application to register the proposed political party ‘FijiansFirst’.

Ms Mataiciwa confirmed that formal objections were lodged by two registered political parties, the National Federation Party and People’s Alliance.

The objections raised concerns over the proposed party’s name, symbol, and potential acronym. These included the alleged unauthorised use of the national coat of arms, similarities between the proposed symbol and that of the deregistered FijiFirst, and the likelihood that the acronym “FFP” could be associated with FijiFirst.

In her decision, Ms Mataiciwa found that the proposed name ‘FijiansFirst’ too closely resembles ‘FijiFirst’, creating a likelihood of confusion.

“Based on the objections on similarity between the proposed name FijiansFirst and FijiFirst, I find that the proposed name so nearly resembles that of the deregistered party FijiFirst as to be likely to be confused with or mistaken for that party,” she said.

She ruled that this falls within section 8(h)(iii) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act 2013, which requires the Registrar to refuse registration where a proposed party’s name, symbol, or acronym closely resembles that of a deregistered party.

However, Ms Mataiciwa clarified that other objections raised by the NFP and People’s Alliance — including those relating to the symbol, national imagery, and acronym — did not meet the legal threshold under the Act and were dismissed.

The proposed party now has the option to appeal the decision to the Electoral Commission within 14 days, in accordance with section 30(1) of the Act.