Mahendra Chaudhry, Fiji’s first and only prime minister of Indian descent, has warned that the island nation is “worse off today than we were at independence” and that its political leadership must focus on solving social and economic issues rather than “making multiple constitutions”.

Chaudhry made the comments over the weekend while making a submission to a special parliamentary committee – led by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka – on the country’s constitutional reform process in Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second main island.

“Are we doing enough to alleviate the problems that we face as a nation that our people face, problems of poverty, hunger, unemployment, poor health services, education problems, crumbling infrastructure, the invasion by drug traffickers, HIV, NCDs (non-communicable diseases)?

“Is the economy delivering to the people? Are we giving sufficient attention to the economic problems that the nation faces? Because you can do nothing on the back of a failing economy.

“These are areas where our attention should be focused,” the former prime minister, whose government was held hostage at gunpoint for 56 days during the 2000 ethno-nationalist coup, said.

Rabuka’s coalition has made it its mission to replace the 2013 Constitution – widely criticised as being imposed by the previous Bainimarama administration – ahead of a looming election.

His government is currently conducting nationwide public consultations on its Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, which passed its second reading earlier this month and is set to be brought back to parliament for its third reading next week.

If the bill passes its third reading, Fiji is set to hold its first national referendum in December, where the people will vote on whether they want Rabuka’s constitution. In its current form, the bill – presented to parliament in September – has been criticised as a downgrade from what the Constitution Review Commission had proposed.

Rabuka and his inner circle are backing the removal of the current constitution despite widespread opposition from local community leaders, non-governmental organisations as well as his own coalition partners who say that the process is being “rushed”.

Rabuka, 78, said he had a responsibility that he would review and amend the 2013 Constitution and “that’s what we’re going for”.

“You voted for us – some in government and some in opposition – so we have the collective vote of the people of Fiji,” he said at one of the public consulations last week.

“And you have entrusted us of doing the amendment in accordance with the rules of the country.”

The move has also given rise to online conspiracies and misinformation that Rabuka is deliberately trying to delay the election, forcing him to provide assurances that the general election will proceed as planned.

More than 723,000 eligible voters are expected to head to the polls no later than 6 February 2027.

Rabuka has so far kept the date of the general election close to his chest, stating previously that the election date will be announced after the constitutional reform process was completed.

“This is the fifth constitution that we will be looking at. Have the four previous constitutions served our purpose? Has it helped the people?” Chaudhry asked.

“Why do we rush this process of a new constitution? It can wait,” he said.

Chaudhry said Fiji could have an election under the 2013 Constitution and the incoming government could deal with the constitutional reform process.

“We have got to listen to the people. In this process, what I have noticed is that everybody has complained,” he said.

“If anything that has come through very clearly and loud in this consultation meeting, it is the people saying, ‘No, look, give us more time’.”

While the government’s constitution bill maintains the common national identity ‘Fijian’ for all its citizens, it proposes a new parliamentary system, brings back an unelected senate, changes the current electoral system, and provides “excessive concentration of constitutional power in the Executive”, according to Fiji’s Centre for Democracy and Dialogue.

It also includes Christianity as a founding value.

Chaudhry said the country should be looking at the proposed constitution that was presented by the Constitution Review Commission and not the government’s version of the document.

“Having had a look at the constitution presented as Bill 32 of 2026, I find it divisive, undemocratic, and discriminatory in many of its provisions,” he said.

“I have no problems with Christian values. I think they are good values, but I believe that religion and state must be kept apart because this is one aspect which can cause serious division [in a] multiracial country like Fiji between communities.

“I am a Hindu. My wife is a Christian. We have no problems. She practices her religion. I do mine. So where is the problem? Why do we have to put in something which is causing controversy? Is it necessary? It is not.”

Cracks are starting to show within Sitiveni Rabuka’s coalition government ahead of a looming general election and a potential national referendum, as the country prepares to mark its 56th anniversary on Saturday.

This follows the National Federation Party (NFP) and the Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa), both the minor partners that helped Rabuka return to power, publicly calling out the prime minister for fast-tracking a constitutional reform process.

NFP leader Biman Prasad, who said earlier that his party fully supported the joint parliamentary process to review Fiji’s proposed Constitution (Amendment) Bill to change the 2013 Constitution, shifted his stance after Rabuka pre-emptively announced a referendum date.

“We (NFP) have said all along very clearly that the new constitution, once and if it is passed and approved, the implementation of that constitution should not be rushed,” Prasad, who was one of three Fiji deputy prime ministers, said on Monday.

However, in a statement on Tuesday, he declared that the NFP “outrightly rejects” Rabuka’s attempt to fast-track the process, comparing the approach to the previous Bainimarama administration’s unilateral implementation of the 2013 Constitution.

He said Rabuka’s announcement was inconsistent with Section 160(3) of the 2013 Constitution on holding a referendum.

“This is not how to formulate a genuine, meaningful, and fair constitution for all our people,” Prasad said.

“It is now clear that [Rabuka] is pre-empting the outcome even before the bipartisan special parliamentary committee, which was unanimously agreed to by parliament last week, has met and started scrutiny and consultation with the people on the draft constitution bill.”

“The prime minister must reconsider his position and respect the people.”

Fiji is expected to hold elections by 6 February at the latest as the Rabuka administration’s term legally comes to an end on 24 December. Rabuka has delayed announcing an election date, previously telling RNZ Pacific that it depends on the constitutional reform process.

The prime minister prematurely announced the referendum date for 9 December after the government’s Constitution (Amendment) Bill passed its second reading last Friday. He also announced that he would write to the Electoral Commission to suspend all election-related campaigning until after the referendum.

During the crucial second reading, the government secured 38 votes (out of 53) in favour of the bill to meet the required two-thirds majority of 36 MPs needed to progress the legislation to the next stage.

The Electoral Commission has stated that it would “give the matter serious consideration” before making any decision.

“We will deliberate and consider the extent of the discretion provided under section 15(2) of the National Referendum Act 2026 that provides guidance when the discretion is activated, and whether it should be exercised, including the reasons for and against doing so and the potential impacts of either approach,” it said in a statement.

Sodelpa is calling on Rabuka to “immediately respect constitutional boundaries” regarding the national referendum process.

“The rule of law and constitutional order in Fiji cannot be subordinated to executive convenience or political scheduling,” Sodelpa leader Aseri Radrodro, who is also Rabuka’s education minister, said in a statement.

The party said no one was above the law and that all parliamentarians must make decisions that prioritised the Fijian people.

Some of Fiji’s leading civil society organisations have warned that the Electoral Commission cannot lawfully suspend general election campaigning at this stage.

Fiji’s opposition condemned the announcement, saying that Rabuka was “putting the cart before the horse”.

Justice Minister Siromi Turaga has defended the process, stating on Monday that the government would systematically inform the Fijian people about the bill.

But Prasad said parliamentarians cannot do a deal on the constitution behind closed doors.

He said the government must first go back to the people to ask them what they think about the constitution bill.

“That will take time,” he said.

“All our citizens must understand what the draft constitution says and what it means for them. We could never do this in 30 days.

“If this process must be finished after the next election, so be it.”

Prasad said announcing a referendum was not Rabuka’s decision, as under the law, only the president can do that.

“And only after the bill has been passed by parliament. How does the Prime Minister then expect the people to vote for a constitution they have barely seen?”

“This announcement [of a] referendum and the process is wrong. The whole point of a new constitution is to bring our people together. It is not to divide us further.”

More than 723,000 eligible Fijian voters have registered to cast their vote at the general election.