Fiji’s Parliament has passed changes to the country’s political funding laws that remove the ban on political donations from non-Fiji citizens and former Fiji citizens, according to the Fiji Sun. The Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Amendment Bill 2026 cleared the House on Thursday as part of a package of electoral reforms and sets an annual $20,000 political donation limit for Fijian citizens and former Fiji citizens, the paper reported.
Key facts
- Parliament passed the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Amendment Bill 2026 on Thursday.
- The amendments remove the previous prohibition on non-Fiji citizens and former Fiji citizens donating to political parties or candidates.
- Fijian citizens and former Fiji citizens face an annual political donation limit of $20,000.
- Political parties face a $4 million campaign spending cap; candidates are limited to $100,000 in campaign expenditure.
- Donations must be declared to the Registrar and published on the Registrar’s website.
All of the above is as set out in the Fiji Sun’s report on the Bill.
Why it matters for Fijians abroad
A door that was shut is open
People who gave up Fiji citizenship, along with foreign nationals, were barred from putting money into Fiji political campaigns; under the amendments passed on Thursday they are not. Former citizens are also the group the new $20,000 annual ceiling names alongside Fijian citizens.
And the giving goes on the record
The money will not be anonymous. Declarations go to the Registrar and are published on the Registrar’s website, per the report, which puts contributions from overseas into a public record rather than leaving them with the party that received them.
It is the second time this year Parliament has widened the role of Fijians outside the country in the political system, after it passed a referendum bill that included overseas voters.
Spending caps ended up far higher than first proposed
The paper describes the outcome as a major shift from the original Bill, which had proposed a $3 million spending limit for political parties and $300,000 for individual candidates. As passed, parties may spend up to $4 million on campaigns and candidates up to $100,000 — a higher ceiling for parties and a lower one for individual candidates than the version introduced to the House.
What the caps mean in money terms
Those ceilings fix the legal size of an election-season spend on advertising, transport, printing and campaign staff: $4 million for a party, $100,000 for a candidate who must now account for every dollar of it. The source report does not say what parties or candidates spent at the last election, so there is no published benchmark for how tight either figure will be in practice.
Candidates also pick up new reporting duties on where their money came from and how much they spent, to be disclosed after polling day, according to the same account.
How the Bill moved through Parliament
Before the vote, the Bill went to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights, whose findings were published on September 29, the paper noted. The Bill was then returned to the House and passed on Thursday as one piece of a broader electoral reform package.
The Government’s stated basis for the package is external: it has said the reforms follow recommendations from the Multinational Observer Group and are meant to bring Fiji’s electoral laws into line with international best practice.
This news desk has reported on other measures moving quickly through the House this year, including when Parliament fast-tracked the Great Council of Chiefs Bill, and on how much influence smaller parties carry inside the coalition that passed these funding rules.
Not law yet
Passage in Parliament is not the final step. The Bill must still receive Presidential assent and be published in the Gazette before it becomes an Act of Parliament, per the Fiji Sun. Until then, the $20,000 donation limit, the $4 million party cap and the $100,000 candidate cap are figures in a passed Bill rather than operating law.
What is not yet clear
The report gives no commencement date, does not say how or how often the Registrar will publish the declarations it receives, and does not set out penalties for breaching the caps. On each of those points the source report is silent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who reviewed the Bill before Parliament passed it?
The Fiji Sun reports the Bill was reviewed by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights before being brought back to the House. The committee’s report on the Bill was published on September 29.
What will candidates have to disclose about their campaigns?
According to the Fiji Sun, candidates will be required to disclose the money they receive, the sources of their donations and their campaign expenditure. Those disclosures are to be made after polling day.
Does the reported $20,000 limit apply to foreign donors as well?
The Fiji Sun specifies the annual $20,000 political donation limit for Fijian citizens and former Fiji citizens. The report does not state a separate donation figure for non-citizens, and says only that the previous prohibition on non-Fiji citizens donating has been removed and that donations must be declared and published.
What reason has the Government given for the reforms?
The Government has said the electoral reforms are based on recommendations from the Multinational Observer Group, the Fiji Sun reports. It says the changes are intended to bring Fiji’s electoral laws in line with international best practice.
