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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. [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]
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European members | ||||
| Eastern | Harold Brockett Gibson | 240 | 58.5 | Re-elected |
| Leslie Martin | 170 | 41.5 | ||
| Informal votes | 27 | – | ||
| Northern and Western | Ronald Kermode | 292 | 56.7 | Re-elected |
| James Sinclair White | 197 | 38.3 | ||
| Nathaniel Chalmers | 26 | 5.0 | ||
| Informal votes | 20 | – | ||
| Southern | John Falvey | 462 | 74.0 | Re-elected |
| Sergius Tetzner | 162 | 26.0 | ||
| Informal votes | 31 | – | ||
| Total | 1,627 | 100 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,985 | 82.0 | ||
| Indo-Fijian members | ||||
| Eastern | Vijay R. Singh | 864 | 50.3 | Elected |
| Jamnadas Kanji | 494 | 28.8 | ||
| Muhammed Khan | 360 | 21.0 | ||
| Informal votes | 33 | – | ||
| Northern and Western | B. D. Lakshman | 2,637 | 38.4 | Elected |
| James Madhavan | 2,158 | 31.4 | Unseated [lower-alpha 1] | |
| Ayodhya Prasad | 2,075 | 30.2 | Unseated | |
| Informal votes | 88 | – | ||
| Southern | Andrew Deoki | 1,877 | 58.3 | Elected |
| K. B. Singh | 950 | 29.5 | ||
| Chambadan Manakadan Gopalan | 221 | 6.9 | ||
| Devendra Pathik | 89 | 2.8 | ||
| Odin Ramrakha | 82 | 2.5 | ||
| Informal votes | 76 | – | ||
| Total | 12,004 | 100 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 14,069 | 85.3 | ||
| Source: Fiji Elections, Pacific Islands Monthly | ||||
| Europeans |
|---|
| Charles Cayzer |
| John Moore |
| Fijians |
| Edward Cakobau |
| George Cakobau |
| Penaia Ganilau |
| Semesa Sikivou |
| Ravuama Vunivalu |
| Indo-Fijians |
| Sathi Narain |
| A. H. Sahu Khan |
| Source: Fiji Elections |
A by-election was held in the Indian Eastern constituency in 1961, which was won by James Madhavan. [3]
Since becoming independent of the United Kingdom in 1970, Fiji has had four constitutions, and the voting system has changed accordingly.
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.
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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.
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General elections were held in Fiji on 22 March and 8 April 1905.
General elections were held in Fiji in June and July 1917.
General elections were held in Fiji in July, August and September 1920.
General elections were held in Fiji in 1923.
General elections were held in Fiji in 1926.
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 August 1956; voting took place in the Eastern constituencies between 11 and 18 August, and on 18 August in all other constituencies.
