|
Naiqama Lalabalavu
Ratu Naiqama Tawake Lalabalavu (born 23 December 1953) is a Fijian Paramount Chief and the current speaker of the parliament. He had served as the leader of the opposition. Tui Cakau In 1999, Lalabalavu succeeded his late father, Ratu Glanville Lalabalavu, as the Tui Cakau, or Paramount Chief of Cakaudrove and of the Tovata Confederacy, one of three confederacies to which all Fijian tribes belong. He was challenged in court by Ratu Epeli Ganilau, son of former Fijian President Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau who had himself held the Tui Cakau title prior to his death in 1993, but in 2001, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Lalabalavu. He is a convert to Roman Catholicism. Lalabalavu is the father of SODELPA Member of Parliament Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu. Political career Lalabalavu was elected to represent the Lau-Taveuni-Rotuma Open Constituency in the House of Representatives in 1999 as a candidate of the ruling Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT), one of only ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain people, usually with official governmental or diplomatic positions. Use by governments International diplomacy In international diplomatic relations, representatives of foreign states are often styled as ''The Honourable''. Deputy chiefs of mission, , consuls-general and consuls are always given the style. All heads of consular posts, whether they are honorary or career postholders, are accorded the style according to the State Department of the United States. However, the style ''Excellency'' instead of ''The Honourable'' is used for ambassadors and high commissioners. Africa The Congo In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the prefix 'Honourable' or 'Hon.' is used for members of both chambers of the Parliament of the Democratic Repu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. History of the office The office of the president was established following two military coups in 1987 that led to the proclamation of a republic on 7 October, ending the Fijian monarchy. Major-General Sitiveni Rabuka, who had masterminded the coups, formed an interim military government with himself as its head. He did not, however, take the title of president, and on 5 December appointed Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, the last governor-general, as the first president of the republic. A civilian putsch instigated by G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2000 Fijian Coup D'état
The Fiji coup d'état of 2000 was a civilian coup d'état by hardline i-Taukei (ethnic Fijian) 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. Background The 1999 Fijian general election saw a resounding victory for the People's Coalition, a multiracial grouping of the Fiji Labour Party, Fijian Association Party, National Unity Party and Christian Democratic Alliance. The coalition won 54 of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Speight
George Speight (born 1957) is a Fijian businessman and politician who was the leader of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état, in which he and rebel soldiers from Fiji's Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit seized the Fijian Parliament and held Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and 35 other MP's hostage from 19 May 2000 to 13 July 2000. After being convicted of treason for leading the coup, he is currently serving a sentence of life imprisonment. Speight is the son of politician Sam Speight, the brother of politician Samisoni Tikoinasau and the uncle of rugby player Henry Speight. Personal life Speight was born in Naivicula, Fiji, and educated at Suva Grammar School. before studying marketing in Australia and business at Andrews University in the United States. After graduating he worked in Australia as a bank clerk for Metway Bank, and was involved in the Wattle Group pyramid scheme. After returning to Fiji in 1996 he worked as an insurance broker for Heaths Insurance Group. In 1998 he w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minister For ITaukei Affairs
The Minister for iTaukei Affairs is the Cabinet Minister responsible for the preservation of Fijian culture and for the economic and social development of indigenous Fijians and the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs. Before 2013, the position was called Minister for Fijian Affairs. Prior to 1999, the Minister for Fijian Affairs also presided over the Great Council of Chiefs, but after that the Great Council elected its own Chairman. The following individuals have held the office since the ministerial system was established in 1967, when Fiji was still a British colony. If the Minister was simultaneously the Prime Minister, this is indicated by an asterisk. The current Minister is Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama (Fijian: ʃoˈsɛia βoˈreŋɡe mbɛiniˈmarama born 27 April 1954) is a Fijian politician and former naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst .... List of ministers Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Democratic Alliance (Fiji)
The Christian Democratic Alliance, better known locally by its Fijian name, ''Veitokani ni Lewenivanua Vakarisito'' (VLV), was a Fijian political party that operated in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The party was founded in 1997 when a faction of the then-ruling Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT) broke away, but was not registered until February 1999. Rev. Ratu Josaia Rayawa was appointed President of the party, with Ratu Epeli Ganilau, son of former Fijian President Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau and son-in-law of the then-current President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, as interim leader. Other prominent members of the party included Adi Koila Nailatikau (Mara's daughter and Ganilau's sister-in-law), Poseci Bune, Rev. Manasa Lasaro (a former Secretary-General of the Methodist Church, who had advocated banning all commercial and sporting activities on Sundays), and Josefa Vosanibola. In the general election of 1999, the VLV was widely seen as playing a spoiler role. Campai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soqosoqo Ni Vakavulewa Ni Taukei
The Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT), occasionally known in English as Fijian Political Party, was a party which dominated the politics of Fiji in the 1990s and was the mainstay of coalition governments from 1992 to 1999. Origins The party was founded in 1990 as the political vehicle of the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC), with the declared goal of uniting all indigenous Fijians. A new constitution promulgated in 1990, following two military coups in 1987, abolished the "national" parliamentary seats elected by universal suffrage (which had comprised almost half the House of Representatives); all members henceforth were to be elected by enrolled voters on "communal" electoral rolls that were limited to specific ethnic communities, each of which had an allocated number of seats in the House (37 indigenous Fijians, 27 Indo-Fijians, 1 Rotuman and 5 General Electors (Europeans, Chinese, Banaban Islanders and other minorities). The end to multiracial voting resulted in a trend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
House Of Representatives Of Fiji
The House of Representatives was the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament from 1970 to 2006. It was the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone had the power to initiate legislation (the Senate, by contrast, could amend or veto most legislation, but could not initiate it). The House of Representatives also had much greater jurisdiction over financial bills; the Senate could not amend them, although it might veto them. Except in the case of amendments to the Constitution, over which a veto of the Senate was absolute, the House of Representatives might override a Senatorial veto by passing the same bill a second time, in the parliamentary session immediately following the one in which it was rejected by the Senate, after a minimum period of six months. Also, the Prime Minister and Cabinet were required to retain the confidence of a majority of the House of Representatives to remain in office. The House of Representatives was suspended by the 2006 military coup. The 2013 Con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Open Constituencies
{{Politics of Fiji Open constituencies represent one of several electoral models employed in the past in the Fijian electoral system. They derived their name from the fact that they were "open": unlike the communal constituencies, the 25 members of the House of Representatives who represented open constituencies were elected by universal suffrage and were open to members of any ethnic group. Universal suffrage with a common voters' roll was first proposed by the Indo-Fijian-dominated National Federation Party (NFP) in the early 1960s, but was opposed by most leaders of the indigenous Fijian community, who were fearful that a common roll would favour Indo-Fijians, who then comprised a majority of the population. The proposal came up again intermittently throughout the 1970s, but nothing came of it. Open constituencies came into being when the 1997 constitution was adopted in 1997–1998. The Constitutional Commission chaired by former New Zealand Governor-General Sir Paul Ree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lau-Taveuni-Rotuma (Open Constituency, Fiji)
Lau Taveuni Rotuma Open is a former electoral division of Fiji, one of 25 open constituencies that were elected by universal suffrage (the remaining 46 seats, called communal constituencies, were allocated by ethnicity). Established by the 1997 Constitution, it came into being in 1999 and was used for the parliamentary elections of 1999, 2001, and 2006. The electorate covered the Lau Islands, Taveuni and some of its outliers including Rabi Island and Kioa, and the remote dependency of Rotuma. The 2013 Constitution promulgated by the Military-backed interim government abolished all constituencies and established a form of proportional representation, with the entire country voting as a single electorate. Election results In the following tables, the ''primary vote'' refers to first-preference votes cast. The ''final vote'' refers to the final tally after votes for low-polling candidates have been progressively redistributed to other candidates according to pre-arranged elec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1999 Fijian General Election
General elections were held in Fiji between 8 and 15 May 1999.Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II'', p653 They were the first election held under the revised Constitution of 1997, which instituted a new electoral system and resulted in Mahendra Chaudhry taking office as Fiji's first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister. Results Mahendra Chaudhry's Fiji Labour Party won all 19 Indo-Fijian seats, annihilating the National Federation Party which had traditionally been Fiji's dominant Indo-Fijian party; Indo-Fijian voters were angered by the NFP's decision to enter into an electoral coalition agreement with the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei of Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, whom they had not forgiven for leading the military coup that removed an Indo-Fijian dominated government from power in 1987. In addition to the 19 Indo-Fijian seats, the Labour Party won 18 of the 25 "open electorates" for a total of 37 - an absolute ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atonio Lalabalavu
Ratu Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu (born 1978/1979) is a Fijian doctor, politician, and Cabinet Minister. He is a member of the People's Alliance. He is the son of Speaker of Parliament and Tui Cakau Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu. Lalabalavu was a doctor before entering politics. He was first elected to the Parliament of Fiji as a SODELPA candidate in the 2018 Fijian general election, winning 5016 votes and being elected alongside his father. He was appointed opposition health spokesperson, and gave his initial speech as an MP on 29 November 2018. In November 2022 once parliament had been dissolved for the 2022 election he resigned from SODELPA and joined the People's Alliance. He contested the election as a PA candidate and was elected with 2826 votes. On 24 December 2022 he was appointed Minister for Health and Medical Services in the coalition government of Sitiveni Rabuka Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, (; born 13 September 1948) is a Fijian politician who has served as Prime Minis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |