The politics of Fiji take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic. Fiji has a multiparty system with the Prime Minister of Fiji as head of government. The executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Fiji. The judiciary is mostly independent of the executive and the legislature.
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party. Following a historic election in which he defeated the long-time former leader,Sitiveni Rabuka,the former trade union leader became Fiji's first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister on 19 May 1999,but exactly one year later,on 19 May 2000 he and most of his Cabinet were taken hostage by coup leader George Speight,in the Fiji coup of 2000. Unable to exercise his duties,he and his ministers were sacked by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara on 27 May;Mara intended to assume emergency powers himself but was himself deposed by the military leader,Commodore Frank Bainimarama.
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara,CF,GCMG,KBE was a Fijian politician,who served as Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970,when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom,and,apart from one brief interruption in 1987,the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992. He subsequently served as President from 1993 to 2000.
Adi Koila Mara Nailatikau is a Fijian lawyer,who has served as a diplomat and politician. She was also First Lady of Fiji from 2009 until 2015,as the wife of Ratu Epeli Nailatikau,the President of Fiji.
The president of Fiji is the head of state of the Republic of Fiji. The president is appointed by the Parliament for a three-year term under the terms of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. Although not entirely a figurehead,the role of president in the government is largely ceremonial,but there are important reserve powers that may be exercised in the event of a crisis. In addition,the president is the commander-in-chief of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces.
The prime minister of Fiji is the head of government of the Republic of Fiji. The prime minister is appointed by the president under the terms of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The prime minister is the head of the Cabinet and appoints and dismisses ministers.
The 1997 Constitution of Fiji was the supreme law of Fiji from its adoption in 1997 until 2009 when President Josefa Iloilo purported to abrogate it. It was also suspended for a period following the 2000 coup d'état led by George Speight.
Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka,OBE,MSD,OStJ,is a Fijian politician best known as the instigator of two military coups in 1987. He was later democratically elected as Prime Minister of Fiji,serving from 1992 to 1999. He went on to serve as Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs,and later served as Chairman of the Cakaudrove Provincial Council from 2001 to 2008. He was elected to this position on 24 May 2001 and re-elected for another three-year term on 13 April 2005.
The Fijian coups d'état of 1987 resulted in the overthrow of the elected government of Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra,the deposition of Elizabeth II as Queen of Fiji,and in the declaration of a republic. The first coup d'état,in which Bavadra was deposed,took place on 14 May 1987;a second coup d'état on 25 September ended the monarchy,and was shortly followed by the proclamation of a republic on 10 October. Both military actions were led by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka,then third in command of the Royal Fiji Military Forces.
Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama is the 8th and current prime minister of Fiji since 2007. A member of the Fiji First Party,he began his career as a naval officer and commander of the Fijian Military Forces.
The Fiji coup d'état of 2000 was a civilian coup d'état by hardline i-Taukei nationalists against the elected government of an Indo-Fijian Prime Minister,Mahendra Chaudhry on 19 May 2000. This was followed by an attempt on 27 May by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority,and then by a military coup on 29 May by Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama. The coups resulted in the removal of the elected government and its replacement by an interim regime headed by Josefa Iloilo. In March 2001 the Court of Appeal of Fiji ruled that the coups and interim regime were illegal. An elected government was finally restored by the 2001 Fijian general election.
Taniela (Daniel) Vafo'ou Fatiaki CF was the Chief Justice of Fiji from 1 August 2002,when he succeeded Sir Timoci Tuivaga,till 5 December 2008. As Chief Justice,he presided over both the High Court and the Supreme Court,but was constitutionally barred from presiding over,or even sitting on,the Appeal Court. On 3 January 2007,he was sent on leave by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces,which had seized power on 5 December 2006. On 19 January,he was formally suspended,pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct. This investigation was dropped in December 2008 as part of a deal that involved his formal resignation.
The chief justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. The office and its responsibilities are set out in Chapter 5 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister
Since attaining independence from the United Kingdom on 10 October 1970,Fijian history has been marked by exponential economic growth up to 1987,followed by relative stagnation,caused to a large extent by political instability following two military coups in 1987 and a civilian putsch in 2000. This was followed by another military coup in 2006. Rivalry between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians,rather than ideological differences,have been the most visible cleavage of Fijian politics. Later in 2020,Fiji was hit by a coronavirus pandemic originated from Wuhan,China affecting the economy and the daily lives of the people.
Qoriniasi Babitu Bale was a lawyer and politician who served twice as Fiji's Minister for Justice and Attorney-General,most recently from 2001 to 2006,when he was deposed in the military coup of 5 December. Like many of Fiji's most influential leaders,Bale was a native of Levukana in Vanua Balavu in the Lau Islands.
The "Blue Ribbon campaign" was the name for the campaign promoting support for the controversial legislation introduced by the Fijian Government in 2005 to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission. The name specifically comes from the blue ribbons promoted by the ruling United Fiji Party as a sign of support for the bill. This campaign had the strong support of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase,Attorney General Qoriniasi Bale,and other members of the ruling coalition and was warmly welcomed by imprisoned coup instigator George Speight. The proposed Commission was intended to have the power to grant compensation to victims,and amnesty to perpetrators,of the coup d'état which deposed the elected government in May 2000.
The Reconciliation and Unity Commission was a proposed government body to be set up if the Reconciliation,Tolerance,and Unity Bill, which was introduced into the Fijian Parliament on 4 May 2005 was passed. The legislation proposed to empower the Commission to grant amnesty to perpetrators of the Fiji coup of 2000,and compensation to victims of it from 19 May 2000 through 15 March 2001. The Fijian President would retain a veto over the granting of amnesty.
Anthony Harold Cumberland Thomas Gates was the chief justice of Fiji from 2008 to 2019. Justice Gates is best known for his decision in Chandrika Prasad v. Att-Gen of Fiji [2000] 2 FLR 89;Prasad v. Republic of Fiji &Another [2001] 1 LRC 665;[2001] NZAR 21 in which he held that the Constitution of Fiji had not been abrogated by the military intervention in 2000,and that the Constitution continued to be the law of the land. His decision was upheld by Fiji’s Court of Appeal,in February 2001. However,the decision which should have led to the restoration of the Parliament suspended by the coup of 2000 was not obeyed by the government at that time,the Government instead choosing to call for a vote in 2001.
Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda,CF,MBE,MSD,KStJ was a Fijian politician who served as the 3rd President of Fiji from 2000 until 2009,excluding a brief period from 5 December 2006 to 4 January 2007. He held the traditional title of Tui Vuda,the paramount chief of the Vuda district in Ba Province on Fiji's northwest coast. Like many Fijian people,he rarely used his surname and was known simply as Josefa Iloilo. He announced on 28 July 2009 that he would be leaving office on 30 July. At the age of 88,he was the world's oldest head of state.
