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The current population of Fiji is 929,766.

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Fiji is in the continent of Australia/Oceania.

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Was the current head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections?

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Was the current head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections?

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In Fiji, the prime minister is the head of the government. Elections work by whichever party wins the most seats in the parliamentary elections, selects the leader of the country. The reason a 3/4 was given is because Fiji's elections are free and fair but some citizens and candidates oppose that and claim that there were issues with the election because of a glitch in the official app which briefly stopped the voting count. This is why no lower or higher score was given to this question.

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Do various segments of the population have full political rights and electoral opportunities?

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Do various segments of the population have full political rights and electoral opportunities?

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Fijian laws allows any racial, ethnic, religious, minority groups and women to participate in politics. However, Indo-Fijian and Indigenous women are not as well represented as others in politics. A 3/4 was given because women are allowed to participate in politics but in the 2022 elections, few members of parliament were women and were underrepresented. Laws have been passed which makes restricting certain individuals or groups illegal. Because certain people were underrepresented and not as given many electoral opportunities, this is why a score of 4/4 was not given, instead a 3/4.

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Does the government operate with openness and transparency?

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Does the government operate with openness and transparency?

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The Fijian gov’t decided to start live broadcasting parliamentary sessions and more reports about what happens in the parliament turned more official. The Information Act allowed citizens to access information from gov’t agencies and ministries which made citizens know more about the gov't. Before the elections of 2022, the FijiFirst party decided to change its rules to limit discussions about new laws and statements. However, the parliament decided to remove the secret ballot rule to elect the prime minister making elections more believable. Because of the law that passed to limit discussions about new laws and statements, that is why a 3/4 was given and not a 4/4.

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Fiji has a open, free and independent media. The gov't provides its country with private radio stations, TV stations and newspapers. Many laws were passed like the one that told the Media Industry Development Decree to stop news reports which criticized the gov’t. Citizens of Fiji are able to share their expressions and thoughts even if it is opposing the gov't. This makes it much easier for the gov't to know what its citizens are thinking. Because of the free media, a 4/4 score was given.

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Are individuals free to express their personal views on political or other topics without fear of surveillance or retribution?

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Are individuals free to express their personal views on political or other topics without fear of surveillance or retribution?

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The Fijian gov't has many laws which allows free speech. However, there is a law in which it makes it illegal to burn the national Fijian flag. There are also restrictions making it illegal to talk about laws on the internet. An example is that the Fijian police warned citizens to be careful when sharing and expressing their own thoughts against bill number 17 on the internet. Many laws however give free speech to citizens and don't limit their speech. These reasons are why a 3/4 was given, and not a 4/4.

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Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement, including the ability to change their place of residence, employment, or education?

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Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement, including the ability to change their place of residence, employment, or education?

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There are very limited laws restricting traveling and moving in and out of Fiji. The citizens of Fiji have the right to do things like work, live, travel and have an education. Although, the gov’t strictly has the right to limit any travel inside and outside the country. As of 2021 limits on traveling were in place by the Covid - 19 pandemic which made traveling difficult due to the strict rules. These laws aren't usually in place but the government can easily carry them out in specific circumstances. Because of the restrictions in 2021, this is why a 3/4 was given and not a 4/4.

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Political rights: 27/40

Civil Liberties: 39/60

Overall: 66/100, Partly Free