Civic Education

Understand your democracy

Plain-language guides to your rights, how Fiji’s government works, and a quiz to test what you know — so every Fijian can take part with confidence.

Explore your rights Take the quiz

6Rights explained

5Quiz questions

16Glossary terms

Know Your Rights

The rights that belong to every Fijian

A plain-language summary of fundamental rights. Tap any right to learn what it means in everyday life.

⚖️Equality and freedom from discrimination▾

Everyone is equal before the law. You cannot be treated unfairly because of your ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, or beliefs.

🗣️Freedom of expression and the media▾

You have the right to hold opinions and to share ideas and information. A free press can report and hold power to account, within the limits set by law.

🤝Freedom of assembly and association▾

You can gather peacefully, join or form groups, unions and associations, and take part in community and political life.

🗳️Political rights▾

If you are eligible, you may register to vote, cast your vote in secret, stand for public office, and take part in the affairs of political parties.

🔒Personal liberty and the rights of the arrested▾

You cannot be detained without lawful reason. If arrested, you have the right to be told why, to remain silent, and to a lawyer.

🏛️Access to justice▾

You have the right to a fair hearing before an independent court, and to have disputes decided by the application of law.

This is general information to help you understand your rights — it is not legal advice.

How Government Works

Who does what in Fiji’s democracy

The main institutions and how they connect — explained simply.

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Parliament

Elected members debate and make the laws of the country and hold the government to account.

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Prime Minister & Cabinet

The head of government and ministers who run the country day to day and set policy.

🎖️

President

The head of state — a guardian of the Constitution with a largely ceremonial role.

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The Judiciary

Independent courts that interpret and apply the law and protect people’s rights.

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Elections

Citizens vote to choose their representatives. Fiji uses a proportional system so seats reflect votes.

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You, the citizen

The source of democratic power — through your vote, your voice, and your participation.

A simplified overview of how Fiji’s democracy is structured.

Interactive Tool

Electoral System Simulator

Move the sliders to set each party’s share of the vote, and see how those votes turn into seats under Fiji’s proportional system — including the 5% threshold.

Set the vote

Type each party’s number of votes (or drag). Shares are scaled to 100%.

Seats in Parliament

Parties below the 5% threshold win no seats. Seats are allocated using the D’Hondt highest-averages method, as in Fiji.

Result

Party	Vote	Seats	Share of seats

How it works

Every vote counts nationally. Fiji is one single constituency, so all votes across the country go into one national count.
The 5% threshold. A party (or independent) must win at least 5% of the valid votes to qualify for any seats.
D’Hondt allocation. Seats are handed out one at a time to whichever qualifying party has the highest “average” (its votes divided by the seats it has already won, plus one), keeping seats roughly proportional to votes.
Forming a government. A party or coalition needs more than half the seats to govern.

Test Your Knowledge

How well do you know your democracy?

Five quick questions. See the answer and a short explanation after each.

Glossary

Democracy words, explained

Search plain-language definitions of common governance and democracy terms.

This hub offers general civic information to help Fijians understand their rights and democracy. It is not legal advice.