1966 Fijian general election

Last updated

1966 Fijian general election
Flag of Fiji.svg
  1963 26 September–8 October 1966 1972  

All 36 seats in the Legislative Council
18 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Kamisese Mara.jpg 3x4.svg
Leader Kamisese Mara A. D. Patel
Party Alliance Federation Party
Seats won239
Popular vote214,872113,310
Percentage51.94%27.39%

Elected Chief Minister

Kamisese Mara
Alliance

General elections were held in Fiji between 26 September and 8 October 1966, [1] the last before independence in 1970 and the first held under universal suffrage. [2] 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.

Contents

Background

A constitutional conference was held in London in 1965, which resulted in the Legislative Council being reorganised to consist of 36 seats; 14 for Fijians and other Pacific Islanders (two of which were nominated by the Great Council of Chiefs), 12 for Indo-Fijians and 10 for all other ethnic groups. [2] The total number of registered voters was 156,683; 75,768 Indo-Fijians, 74,575 Fijians and 6,340 General electors. [1]

Members of the Legislative Council were elected from two types of constituencies; communal and cross-voting, with voters being able to cast four votes each. Each voter cast a single vote in one of the 25 communal constituencies, in which they could only vote for a candidate of their own ethnicity. In the three three-seat cross-voting constituencies, voters voted for a candidate from each of the three ethnic groups. [2]

Campaign

For the first time, the elections were a largely partisan event, dominated by the Fijian Alliance Party and the Indo-Fijian Federation Party. [2] A total of 79 candidates contested the elections, three of which were women. [3]

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
Alliance Party 214,87251.9423
Federation Party 113,31027.399
National Democratic Party 6,8741.660
Independents78,64419.012
Nominated members2
Total413,700100.0036
Valid votes413,70093.16
Invalid/blank votes30,3726.84
Total votes444,072100.00
Source: Fiji Elections

By constituency

SeatCandidatePartyVotes%Notes
Fijian seats
Cakaudrove Jone Naisara Alliance Party 4,908Elected
Anare M. TuidrakiIndependent949
Invalid votes314
Lau–Rotuma Jonati Mavoa Alliance Party UnopposedElected
Lomaiviti/Kadavu Solomone Momoivalu Alliance Party UnopposedElected
Macuata/Bua Emosi Vuakatagane Alliance Party 2,885Elected
Militoni Vereaqali LeweniqilaIndependent1,774
Invalid votes207
North West Viti Levu Sakeasi Waqanivavalagi Alliance Party 6,354Elected
Isaia VakabuaIndependent1,670
Jone RavunakanaIndependent1,268
Invalid votes191
Rewa–Suva Alipate Sikivou Alliance Party 4,427Elected
Jone Cure MataitiniIndependent1,779
Noa Niubalavu NawalowaloIndependent1,268
Invalid votes158
South Central Viti Levu David Toganivalu Alliance Party 4,368Elected
Penaia Lalabalavu LatianaraIndependent981
Meli Radelaiburelevu LokiIndependent873
Ifereimi NakaiwaluIndependent205
Invalid votes182
South West Viti Levu Peniame Naqasima Alliance Party 5,600Elected
Apisai Tora National Democratic Party 2,632
Invalid votes133
Tailevu William Brown Toganivalu Alliance Party 3,347Elected
Livai VolavolaIndependent1,530
Meli Saronicava BaleilakebaIndependent383
Invalid votes187
Council of Chiefs nominees George Cakobau Elected
Losalini Raravuya Dovi Elected
General seats
Eastern and Central Wesley Barrett Alliance Party 816Elected
Robert SpowartIndependent132
Invalid votes11
Northern Harold Brockett Gibson Independent392Elected
Fred Archibald Independent292Unseated
Hugh ThaggardIndependent151
Lawrence SimpsonIndependent73
Invalid votes33
Suva John Falvey Alliance Party 1,544Re-elected
Charles Stinson Independent1,384Elected
William Yee Alliance Party 1,381Elected
Margaret Bain Alliance Party 1,288
Invalid votes4
West Viti Levu Ronald Kermode Alliance Party UnopposedRe-elected
Robin Yarrow Alliance Party UnopposedElected
Indo-Fijian seats
North-East Vanua Levu James Madhavan Federation Party 5,04966.9Re-elected
Gaya PrasadIndependent2,49433.1
Invalid votes320
North-East Viti Levu C. A. Shah Federation Party 3,79958.2Re-elected
Vishnu Deo Alliance Party 1,95530.0
V. P. BajpaiIndependent77011.8
Invalid votes100
North Eastern Ram Jati Singh Federation Party 2,32865.3Elected
Harish Chandra KohliIndependent1,23834.7
Invalid votes206
North-West Viti Levu R. D. Patel Federation Party 4,704Elected
James Shankar Singh Alliance Party 4,421
Invalid votes104
South-Central Viti Levu M. T. Khan Federation Party 4,380Elected
Ramanlal I. KapadiaIndependent1,650
B.D. MotiIndependent67
B. D. Lakshman Independent24
Invalid votes150
South-West Viti Levu A. D. Patel Federation Party 7,601Re-elected
Ayodhya Prasad Alliance Party 4,025
Invalid votes167
Suva Irene Jai Narayan Federation Party 5,67667.1Elected
Andrew Deoki Independent2,77932.9Unseated
Invalid votes108
Tailevu-Rewa K. C. Ramrakha Federation Party 3,22071.5Elected
K. B. Singh Independent67715.1
Ram Lochan ReganIndependent60413.4
Invalid votes105
West Viti Levu Indian Sidiq Koya Federation Party 6,318Re-elected
Jaswant SinghIndependent2,221
C. A. PatelIndependent19
Invalid votes201
Source: Pacific Islands Monthly
Cross-voting seats
ConstituencyEthnic groupCandidatePartyVotes%Notes
CentralFijian Edward Cakobau Alliance Party UnopposedRe-elected
General Douglas Walkden-Brown Alliance Party 21,208Elected
James Ah Koy Independent5,604
David WhippyIndependent2,622
Trevor McNallyIndependent976
Invalid votes11,518
Indo-Fijian Abdul Lateef Alliance Party 15,498Elected
Madho Singh Tikaram Federation Party 13,487
C. P. Singh Independent7,939Unseated
Shiu Narayan Kanhai Independent1,505
M. ColumbusIndependent1,077
M. AzamIndependent987
Invalid votes1,584
Northern and EasternFijian Kamisese Mara Alliance Party 26,025Re-elected
Nemani WakaIndependent8,635
Informal885
General Lindsay Verrier Alliance Party UnopposedElected
Indo-Fijian Vijay R. Singh Alliance Party 26,634Elected
Vijay Singh Federation Party 8,068
Invalid votes808
WesternFijian Joshua Toganivalu Alliance Party 25,960Elected
Penaia Rokovuni Federation Party 23,171
Isikeli Nadalo National Democratic Party 4,242
Invalid votes2,085
General Loloma Livingston Alliance Party 23,768Elected
Peter DavisIndependent22,677
Invalid votes8,882
Indo-Fijian K. S. Reddy Alliance Party 28,200Elected
Deo Narayan Federation Party 25,509
Invalid votes1,729
Source: Pacific Islands Monthly

Aftermath

Following the elections, the two independents joined the Alliance Party. [2] A new government was formed with Kamisese Mara as Leader of Government Business. [4] The Executive Council consisted of six elected members and four civil servants. [5]

1966 Executive Council
PositionMember
Leader of Government Business Kamisese Mara
Natural Resources
Attorney General Justin Lewis
Acting Chief Secretary Ian Thomson
Commerce, Industry and Tourism Edward Cakobau
Communications and Works Charles Stinson
Financial Secretary Harry Richie
Secretary for Fijian Affairs and Local Government Penaia Ganilau
Social Services Vijay R. Singh
Undersecretary for Social Services K. S. Reddy
Without portfolio John Falvey

At the first meeting of the Legislative Council on 11 November, Ronald Kermode was elected Speaker unopposed, with James Madhavan elected Deputy Speaker. [6]

Full ministerial government was introduced on 1 September 1967. On the same day, the Federation Party MLCs walked out of the Legislative Council. [7] After they missed three meetings, the nine Indo-Fijian communal seats were declared vacant and a series of by-elections held in 1968.

1967 Cabinet
PositionMinister
Chief Minister Kamisese Mara
Minister for Commerce, Industry and Labour Edward Cakobau
Minister for Communications, Works and Tourism Charles Stinson
Minister for Fijian Affairs and Local Government Penaia Ganilau
Minister for Finance Harry Richie
Minister for Natural Resources Douglas Walkden-Brown
Minister without Portfolio John Falvey
Minister for Social Services Vijay R. Singh
Source: Pacific Islands Monthly

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Militant Indians active as Fiji goes to the polls Pacific Islands Monthly, October 1966, p9
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 1966 Fiji Legislative Council elections Fiji Elections
  3. "79 At The Barriers For Fiji's Biggest Election", Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1966, pp13–14
  4. Ratu Mara heads Fiji's new government Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1966, p10
  5. Fiji's new government Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1966, p11
  6. Fiji's New Opposition Gets Down To Business Pacific Islands Monthly, December 1966, p9
  7. And in Fiji the phrase is, 'We won't co-operate' Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1967, pp19–20