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General elections were held in Fiji in August 1956; voting took place in the Eastern constituencies between 11 and 18 August, and on 18 August in all other constituencies. [1]
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General elections were held in Fiji in August 1956; voting took place in the Eastern constituencies between 11 and 18 August, and on 18 August in all other constituencies. [1]
The Legislative Council consisted of 32 members, including 16 'official' members who were civil servants, fifteen 'unofficial' members (five Europeans, five Fijians and five Indo-Fijians), and the Governor sitting as President of the Council.
For Europeans and Indo-Fijians, three of the five representatives were elected from single-member constituencies, with the other two appointed by the Governor. All five Fijian members were appointed from a list of ten candidates submitted by the Great Council of Chiefs. [2]
Voting for Europeans remained restricted to men aged 21 or over who had been born to European parents (or a European father and was able to read, speak and write English), who were British subjects and had been continuously resident in Fiji for 12 months, and who either owned at least £20 of freehold or leasehold property or had an annual income of at least £120. [2] For Indo-Fijians, eligibility was also restricted to men aged 21 or over. They had to be a British subject or from British India, have lived continuously in the Fiji for at least two years, be able to read or write in English, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu or Urdu, and for the previous six months, have either owned property with an annual value of five years, had a net annual cash income of at least £75, or held a Government or municipal licence worth at least £5 annually. [2]
The elections were boycotted by the Muslim community in protest at not having an elected seat reserved for them. The community was instead represented by one of the two Indo-Fijian nominated members. [1] The Fiji Muslim League requested its members not to participate in the elections in any form, whilst the Muslim Association of Fiji advised Muslims not to accept nomination to the Council. [1]
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European members | ||||
| Eastern | Harold Brockett Gibson | 281 | Re-elected | |
| Fred Archibald | 169 | |||
| Northern and Western | Maurice Scott | Unopposed | Re-elected | |
| Southern | John Falvey | 502 | Re-elected | |
| James Burton Turner | 167 | |||
| Indo-Fijian members | ||||
| Eastern | James Madhavan | 1,041 | Re-elected | |
| Jamnadas Kanji | 866 | |||
| Northern and Western | Ayodhya Prasad | 2,718 | Re-elected | |
| K. S. Reddy | 1,348 | |||
| Chattur Singh | 1,240 | |||
| B. D. Lakshman | 109 | |||
| D. S. Prasad | 40 | |||
| Informal votes | 63 | – | ||
| Southern | Vishnu Deo | 1,900 | Re-elected | |
| Odin Ramrakha | 1,423 | |||
| Hari Charan | 14 | |||
| Informal votes | 64 | – | ||
| Source: Fiji Elections, Pacific Islands Monthly [4] | ||||
| Europeans |
|---|
| Stanley Cowled |
| William Granger Johnson |
| Fijians |
| Edward Cakobau |
| George Cakobau |
| Kamisese Mara |
| Semesa Sikivou |
| Lala Sukuna |
| Indo-Fijians |
| Andrew Deoki |
| A. R. Manu |
| Source: Fiji Elections |
Following the elections, Lala Sukuna was appointed as the first Speaker of the Legislative Council. [5]
A. H. Sahu Khan, leader of the Muslim Association of Fiji, replaced A. R. Manu as one of the nominated Indian members in 1957. [6] After Maurice Scott was appointed Speaker following the death of Sukuna in May 1958, a by-election was held in the European Northern and Western constituency, in which Ronald Kermode defeated Mark White by seven votes. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Since becoming independent of the United Kingdom in 1970, Fiji has had four constitutions, and the voting system has changed accordingly.
General elections were held in Fiji between 15 and 29 April 1972, the first since independence from the United Kingdom in 1970. They were characterised by the lack of rancour between racial groups, typical of the 1966 general election and the 1968 by-elections.
The Legislative Council of Fiji was the colonial precursor to the present-day Parliament, which came into existence when Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970.
The Colony of Fiji was a Crown colony that existed from 1874 to 1970 in the territory of the present-day nation of Fiji. London declined its first opportunity to annex the Kingdom of Fiji in 1852. Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau had offered to cede the islands, subject to being allowed to retain his Tui Viti title. His demand was unacceptable to both the British and to many of his fellow chiefs, who regarded him only as first among equals, if that. Mounting debts and threats from the United States Navy had led Cakobau to establish a constitutional monarchy with a government dominated by European settlers in 1871, following an agreement with the Australian Polynesia Company to pay his debts. The collapse of the new regime drove him to make another offer of cession in 1872, which the British accepted. On 10 October 1874, Britain began its rule of Fiji, which lasted until 10 October 1970.
General elections were held in Fiji between 26 September and 8 October 1966, the last before independence in 1970 and the first held under universal suffrage. The result was a victory for the Alliance Party, which won 23 of the 34 elected seats. Its leader Kamisese Mara became the country's first Chief Minister the following year.
James Madhavan was an Indo-Fijian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives for most of the period between 1947 and 1973 and had two spells in the Executive Council.
General elections were held in Fiji between 17 April and 4 May 1963. For the first time, women and indigenous Fijians were given the right to vote alongside the male European and Indo-Fijian population.
Andrew Indar Narayan Deoki was an Indo-Fijian statesman who served his community as a social and religious leader, soccer administrator, member of the Legislative Council and Senate in independent Fiji and as Attorney General.
General elections were held in Fiji in 1929. They were the first in which Indo-Fijians were allowed to vote.
General elections were held in Fiji on 31 August 1932, although only one of the nine elected seats was contested.
General elections were held in Fiji in July 1937, the first in which an equal number of Europeans and Indo-Fijians were elected.
General elections were held in Fiji on 20 July 1940.
General elections were held in Fiji on 29 July 1944. The term of the Legislative Council elected in 1940 was due to end in 1943, but was extended by a year by the Governor.
General elections were held in Fiji in September 1947. Voting took place in the Northern and Western and Southern constituencies on 20 September, with voting in the Eastern constituency carried out between 15 and 22 September.
General elections were held in Fiji in August 1950. Voting took place in most locations on 26 August, and in the Lau and Lomaiviti Islands between 21 and 28 August.
General elections were held in Fiji on 29 August 1953.
General elections were held in Fiji in September 1959, the last in which women and ethnic Fijians were still barred from voting. Voting took place in the Eastern constituencies between 5 and 12 September, and in the Northern and Western and Southern constituencies on 12 September.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 15 November 1957.
Ravuama Vunivalu was a Fijian civil servant and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council in two spells between 1950 and his death in 1964.
Abdul Rahman Sahu Khan was an Indo-Fijian civil servant and politician. He served as a nominated member of the Legislative Council between 1944 and 1947.
