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Cabinet Of Fiji
The Cabinet of Fiji is a Government body of Ministers appointed by the Prime Minister of Fiji and responsible to the Parliament of Fiji. The Cabinet's constitutional basis is sections 90 to 96 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. Cabinet consists of the Prime Minister as chair and a number of Ministers. With the exception of the Attorney-General, they must be members of Parliament. Ministers hold office at the pleasure of the Prime Minister, or until they resign or cease to be MPs. The cabinet is responsible to Parliament. Ministers must provide regular reports to Parliament on their areas of responsibility and must appear before Parliament or any committee on a request to answer questions about their areas of responsibility. Prior to the 2006 Fijian coup d'état and the 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis, Fiji's Cabinet was governed by the 1997 Constitution. An unusual feature of the constitution was to require a compulsory coalition cabinet, with every political party with mor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parliamentary System
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the legislature, typically a parliament, to which it is accountable. In a parliamentary system, the head of state is usually a person distinct from the head of government. This is in contrast to a presidential system, where the head of state often is also the head of government and, most importantly, where the executive does not derive its democratic legitimacy from the legislature. Countries with parliamentary systems may be constitutional monarchies, where a monarch is the head of state while the head of government is almost always a member of parliament, or parliamentary republics, where a mostly ceremonial president is the head of state while the head of government is regularly from the legislature. In a few parliamentary republics, among ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Court Of Appeal Of Fiji
The Court of Appeal of Fiji is one of three courts that were established by Chapter 9 of the 1997 Constitution, the others being the High Court and the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeal was a new institution established when the 1997 Constitution came into effect; the other two courts predated it. The Constitution authorizes the Court of Appeal ''"to hear and determine appeals"'' from all judgements of the High Court. From time to time, other powers may be assigned to this court by law. The Court of Appeal is chaired by the President of the Court of Appeal. The Chief Justice is not permitted to hold this position; the Court of Appeal is the only court from which the Chief Justice is constitutionally barred from membership. This is to give the Court of Appeal a measure of independence from the other courts. Also members of the Court of Appeal are the puisne judges, at least ten in number (who also sit on the High Court), and persons specifically appointed as Justice of Appe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2022 Fijian General Election
General elections were held in Fiji on 14 December 2022 to elect the 55 members of Parliament. The elections took place following the passage of controversial electoral amendments. In addition to a struggling economy, significant campaign issues included the national debt, ethnic tensions and tackling poverty. During the preliminary count, the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) app displaying the results experienced a glitch, prompting FEO to take down the app temporarily. Once the app was back in operation, the vote tally showed the ruling FijiFirst party leading, resulting in five opposition parties demanding a recount and for the counting process to cease. Observers said they had not seen any significant voting irregularities, adding that an initial anomaly with an app showing the results had been rectified. Of the nine parties that contested the election, four passed the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament, but no party won a majority. FijiFirst won a plurality, securing 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2006 Fijian General Election
General elections were held in Fiji between 6 and 13 May 2006. Background The 1997 Constitution of Fiji required general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi issued a proclamation on 2 March 2006, effective from 27 March, dissolving Parliament. The previous parliamentary term had been due to expire on 1 October 2006. The Writ of Elections was issued on 28 March; candidates filed their nominations on 11 April and published their preference lists on the 13th, while voter registration closed on 4 April. Electoral boundary adjustments A major issue to be resolved ahead of the election was that of constituency boundaries. With the constitution requiring the 25 open constituencies and 29 of the 46 communal constituencies to be substantially equal in population, the Constituency Boundaries Commission, chaired by Barrie Sweetman, explored possible changes. Time constraints made the matter a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment as Prime Minister on 4 July. He won two parliamentary elections, but a military coup removed him from power on 5 December 2006. He was later imprisoned on corruption charges brought by the military-backed regime. A native of Vanua Balavu Island in the Lau archipelago, he was one of many Lauans to have held top leadership positions in Fiji. Early and personal life Qarase was born in 1941 into the Tota clan in Mavana on Vanua Balavu, the son of Josateki Mate of Mavana village. After attending local schools, he enrolled at Suva Boys Grammar School. Following his education at Suva Boys Grammar School, Qarase left Fiji in 1959 and went on to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry ( hif, महेन्द्र पाल चौधरी; born 9 February 1942) 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. After 56 days in captivity, Chaudhry was released on 13 July and subsequently embarked on a tour of the world to rally support. He was one of the leading voices raised in opposition to the Qarase government's proposed Reconciliation and Unity Comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1997 Constitution Of Fiji
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. Background The Constitution of the Republic of the Fiji Islands dates from 1997. It is Fiji's third Constitution. The first, adopted in 1970 upon independence, was abrogated following two military coups in 1987. A second constitution was adopted in 1990. Its discriminatory provisions, which reserved the office of Prime Minister and a built-in majority in the House of Representatives for indigenous Fijians (although they were at that time a minority of the population) proved very unpopular with the Indo-Fijian community, which comprised almost half the country's population, and in the mid 1990s the government agreed that it should be rewritten. Constitutional process In 1995, President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara appointed a three-m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2009 Fijian Constitutional Crisis
The Fijian constitutional crisis of 2009 began on Friday, 10 April 2009. Fijian President Ratu Josefa Iloilo announced on a nationwide radio broadcast that he was abrogating the Constitution of Fiji. He dismissed all judges and constitutional appointees and assumed all governance in the country after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government of Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama was illegal. Iloilo reinstalled Bainimarama as PM and his Cabinet members to their positions. He also instituted emergency rule which increased police powers and allowed media censorship. Background On Thursday, 9 April 2009, the Court of Appeal, the second highest in Fiji, issued a ruling stating the illegality of the 2006 Fijian coup d'état, which removed the government of Laisenia Qarase from power, replacing it with military rule. The court also called the interim government established in January 2007 "invalid." The ruling legally dissolved the current parliament. The Court of Appeals order ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2006 Fijian Coup D'état
The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 was a coup d'état carried out by Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, against the government of President Josefa Iloilo. Iloilo was removed as president, but he was later reinstated by Bainimarama on 4 January 2007. The coup occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005–06 Fijian political crisis. Fiji had seen four definitive coups in the past two decades. At the heart of the previous three of these lay the tensions between the ethnic Fijians and Indian Fijians. Religion played a significant role; the majority of ethnic Fijians belong to the Methodist church, whereas the majority of the Indians are Hindu. In each coup, one of the sides sought to establish reduced rights for the Indian Fijians; the other side sought to grant greater rights to the Indian Fijians. The church in Fiji frequently played ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Attorney General Of Fiji
The Attorney-General is a political and legal officer in Fiji. The attorney-general is the chief law officer of the State, and has responsibility for supervising Fijian law and advising the government on legal matters. Like other members of the Fijian Cabinet, the attorney-general is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister. According to the 2013 Constitution of Fiji, the attorney-general is required to be a registered legal practitioner in Fiji, with not less than fifteen years' post-admission legal practice, either in Fiji or internationally. The attorney-general is a member of the Cabinet of Fiji, and is normally expected to be a Member of Parliament. The Prime Minister may, however, choose an attorney-general from outside Parliament after determining there is no suitably qualified Member of Parliament who supports the Government. An Attorney-General who is not a Member of Parliament may sit in Parliament, but may not vote. The office of the attorney-ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magistrates Court
A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Court of Jersey * Magistrates' court (Hong Kong) * Magistrate's courts of Israel * Magistrate's court (South Africa) * District Court (New Zealand), replaced magistrate's courts in 1980 * District Court (Ireland), the main court of summary jurisdiction in Ireland * Magistrate's court (Russia) * Magistrate's court (Sri Lanka) Australian courts * Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory * Magistrates court (Northern Territory) * Magistrates Court of Queensland * Magistrates Court of South Australia * Magistrates Court of Tasmania * Magistrates' Court of Victoria * Magistrates Court of Western Australia * Local Court of New South Wales * Federal Circuit Court of Australia (initially the Federal Magistrate's Court of Australia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High Court Of Fiji
The High Court of Fiji is one of three courts that was established by Chapter 9 of the 1997 Constitution of Fiji — the others being the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The Constitution empowered Parliament to create other courts; these were to be subordinate to the High Court, which was authorized to oversee all proceedings of such courts. The High Court had unlimited original jurisdiction to hear and determine any civil or criminal proceedings under any law and such other original jurisdiction as is conferred on it under the Constitution. The High Court consists of the Chief Justice and at least ten (and no more than eighteen) puisne judges. Parliament may also allow for junior judges, called Masters of the High Court, to sit on the High Court. Section 129 of the Constitution declares that ''"A judge who has sat in a trial of a matter that is the subject of appeal to a higher court must not sit in the appeal."'' As the membership of the High Court overlaps to a large ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
