Parliament to decide on Fiji's next president in Oct.

Fiji's unicameral parliament is scheduled to decide on the country's next president in October, the government-owned Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) confirmed Thursday.

The date of Oct. 12 on the parliament calendar has been earmarked for presidential nominations.

As per Fiji's constitution, the prime minister and leader of the opposition will each submit a presidential candidate to the speaker of parliament, who will then announce the nominees to MPs before the parliament decides on the Pacific island country's next president with a majority vote.

In line with the constitution, a presidential nominee should hold only a Fijian citizenship, have or has had a distinguished career in any aspect of national or international life, whether in the public or private sector, and should not be a member of or holds any office in any political party.

A former career soldier and diplomat, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau has been Fiji's president since 2009.

"It's possible Ratu Epeli Nailatikau may be a candidate given he's effectively served three years of the presidency as articulated under the constitution, one term. He is eligible for another," the FBC analyzed, adding that speculation as to who will be Fiji's next president is "rife".

In Fiji, a president is the head of state and performs the ceremonial function of commander-in-chief of the country's military forces. Endi