Christian Democratic Alliance (Fiji)

The Christian Democratic Alliance, better known locally by its Fijian name, ''Veitokani ni Lewenivanua Vakarisito'' (VLV), was a

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 ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

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 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 ...

(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 President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu Ganilau (28 July 1918 – 15 December 1993) was the first President of Fiji, serving from 8 December 1987 until his death in 1993. He had previously served as Governor-General of Fiji, representing Elizabeth II, Que ...

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 Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

, who had advocated banning all commercial and sporting activities on Sundays), and

Josefa Vosanibola Josefa Bole Vosanibola is a Fijian politician who served as Minister for Home Affairs from 16 December 2004, when he was appointed by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to succeed Joketani Cokanasiga, to 5 December 2006, when his government was depose ...

. In the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

of 1999, the VLV was widely seen as playing a spoiler role. Campaigning on a platform of strengthening anti-corruption laws, establishing programs to eradicate poverty, and reinforcing the family unit, it took 19 percent of the indigenous Fijian vote, mostly at the expense of the SVT, which lost the election. Ganilau himself failed to win a seat, however, and Bune replaced him as leader. The VLV joined the People's Coalition government of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

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 lead ...

, and Bune and Nailatikau were appointed to the Cabinet. The VLV splintered in the political realignment that followed the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

, which deposed the Chaudhry government. Many of its members, including Rayawa and Vosanibola, joined the new

Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua The United Fiji Party ( fj, Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua, SDL) was a political party in Fiji. It was founded in 2001 by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase as a power base; it absorbed most of the Christian Democratic Alliance and other conser ...

of interim Prime Minister

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 ...

, while others, including Bune, joined the

Fiji Labour Party The Fiji Labour Party (FLP; fj, Ilawalawa Cakacaka ni Viti), also known as Fiji Labour, is a political party in Fiji. Most of its support is from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an in ...

of deposed Prime Minister Chaudhry. A rump of the party continued under the leadership of

Taniela Tabu Taniela is a given name of Pacific Islander origin. Notable people with the name include: * Taniela Lasalo, Australian rugby league player * Taniela Moa, Tongan rugby union player *Taniela Rawaqa Taniela Rawaqa (born April 30, 1986) is a Fijian r ...

and fielded two candidates, unsuccessfully, in the

held to restore democracy in September 2001, but most members of this rump subsequently merged with members of the SVT and the

New Labour Unity Party The New Labour Unity Party was a Fijian political party, which broke away from the Fiji Labour Party in May 2001. It was founded by Tupeni Baba, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Party stalwart, who had become dissatisfied with Mahendr ...

to form the

Fiji Democratic Party The Fiji Democratic Party was a political party in Fiji. It was active between June 2002 and April 2005. It was founded by Filipe Bole, a former Cabinet Minister, as a merger of the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (which had dominated the go ...

under the leadership of the former SVT leader

Filipe Bole Filipe Nagera Bole CBE, CF (23 August 1936 – 19 June 2019) was a Fijian politician who hailed from the village of Mualevu on the island of Vanua Balavu in the Lau Group. He had a reputation as one of Fiji's few politicians untainted by scan ...

. In 2005, this party merged into the new

National Alliance Party of Fiji The National Alliance Party of Fiji (NAPF) was a Fijian political party. It was formally registered on 18 January 2005 by Ratu Epeli Ganilau, as the claimed successor to the defunct Alliance Party, which ruled Fiji from 1967 to 1987 under the ...

, founded by the former VLV leader, Ratu Epeli Ganilau. Christian democratic parties in Oceania Defunct political parties in Fiji Political parties established in 1997 Political parties disestablished in 2001 {{Fiji-party-stub