General elections were held in

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

in July 1937, the first in which an equal number of Europeans and Indo-Fijians were elected.

Background

The elections had originally been due in 1935, but in July 1936 the term of the Legislative Council elected in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

was extended until 1936 following the passing of a motion by the elected members to make the Council an entirely appointed body due to concerns that Indo-Fijian voters would outnumber Europeans. The same concerns had led to the abolition of elections to Suva Municipal Council earlier in the year.The Franchise in Fiji
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', July 1935, p53

Electoral system

Following the changes to the constitution that allowed

Indo-Fijians Indo-Fijians or Indian-Fijians (also known as Fiji Indians) are Fijian citizens of Indian descent, and include people who trace their ancestry to various regions of the Indian subcontinent.Girmit by Suresh Prasad Although Indo-Fijians constitu ...

to vote in Legislative Council elections for the first time in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

, further constitutional amendments were made in July 1936 that provided for an equal number of seats for Europeans, Fijians and Indo-Fijians in the Legislative Council, which was expanded from 25 to 31 members (with the Governor also sitting as President of the Council). The number of appointed civil servants was increased from 13 to 16, whilst there were five 'unofficial' members from each of the three main ethnic groups and the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 The Great Council of Chiefs ''(Bose Levu Vakaturaga'' in Fijian) was a constitutional body in Fiji from 1876 to March 2012. In April 2007, the council was suspended, due to an unworkable relationship with Frank Bainimarama, leader of an "interi ...

.1937 Legislative Council Election
Fiji Elections Archive 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. A total of 1,348 Europeans were registered to vote. 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. A total of 2,813 Indo-Fijians were registered to vote. In both ethnic categories, civil servants were barred from voting.

Results

In the four contested constituencies, 2,363 of the 2,497 registered voters participated in the election, a

voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Unive ...

of 94.6%.

Nominated members

The Great Council of Chiefs submitted their list of ten candidates to the Governor in late 1936;

George Tuisawau Ratu George Cokanauto Tuisawau (18 August 1901 – 14 September 1961) was a Fijian chief and politician. He was Roko Tui of Rewa from 1936 until 1961, and spent two decades as a member of the Legislative Council. Biography Tuisawau was on 18 ...

Lala Sukuna Ratu Sir Josefa Lalabalavu Vanayaliyali Sukuna (22 April 1888 – 30 May 1958) was a Fijian chief, scholar, soldier, and statesman. He is regarded as the forerunner of the Modern Fiji, post-independence leadership of Fiji. He did more than an ...

, Isireli Tawake,

Tiale Vuiyasawa Ratu Tiale Wimbledon Thomas Vuiyasawa (died March 1981) was a Fijian chief, civil servant and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council and Senate. Biography Vuiyasawa was born into a chiefly family, the second son of Joni ...

Deve Toganivalu Ratu Deve Toganivalu (1864 – 21 February 1939) was a Fijian chief and politician. He was Roko Tui of Bua from 1909 until 1928 and a member of the Legislative Council between 1926 and 1938. Biography Born in 1864, Toganivalu started his care ...

, G. Lala, E. Mataitini, George Toganivalu, Penijamini Veli and Popi Cakobau. Cakobau died shortly after being shortlisted by the Council.

John Maynard Hedstrom Sir John Maynard Hedstrom (22 February 1872 – 2 June 1951) was a Fijian businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council for over 30 years. Alongside Robert Crompton, Henry Marks and Henry Milne Scott, he was one o ...

resigned from the Council in December 1937, and was replaced by John Trotter.

resigned shortly afterwards and was replaced by Glanville Lalabalavu. Following the death of Penijamini Veli in August 1938,

was appointed as his replacement.Ratu Tiale Vuiyasawa
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', December 1938, p33

References

{{Fijian elections

1937 in Fiji Elections in Fiji 1937 elections in the British Empire