Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Ratu ''Ratu'' () is an Austronesian title used by male Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, ''adi'' (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. In the Malay language, the title ''ratu'' is also the traditional honorific title to re ...

Peni Volavola is a former Lord Mayor of the

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 ...

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

. Volavola, a Councillor representing the

Tamavua Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divis ...

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

, was elected Lord Mayor in 2003, under a memorandum of understanding between of his

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 ...

(SDL) and the

National Federation Party The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A. D. Patel, A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party (Fiji, 1960s), National Democratic Party. Though it claimed to ...

(NFP) of his predecessor,

Chandu Umaria Chandu may refer to: Entertainment * ''Chandu'' (1958 film), a 1958 Hindi film * ''Chandu'' (2002 film), a 2002 Kannada film * ''Chandu the Magician'' (radio), an American radio series * ''Chandu the Magician'' (film), a 1932 film adaptation of the ...

, according to which the two parties agreed to hold the Mayoralty for one year each, with the parties choosing the Lord Mayor jointly in the third year (2004). The coalition collapsed in 2004, however, forcing Volavola to forge a new coalition. In a rare display of cooperation between the SDL and the Fiji Labour Party (FLP), its main rivals at the national level, five FLP councillors voted for Volavola to remain in office.

Vinod Lal Vinod ( hi, विनोद , mr, विनोद , gu, વિનોદ) is a male given name used in India and Nepal, meaning "delight", "enjoyment", or "pleasure". People * Vinod Agarwal, Indian-American businessman and scientist *Vinod Agg ...

of the FLP was elected as his deputy. Volavola's reelection came in the face of criticism from Umaria that he had not built a single bus shelter during his first term as Mayor, a criticism that Volavola acknowledged, but defended citing the absence of funding. Umaria reiterated the charge during the municipal election campaign of November 2005. Volavola counter-attacked by accusing Umaria of mismanagement and abuse of public funds amounting to almost F$8 million while he was Lord Mayor, and on 11 November it was reported that Umaria was suing him for defamation. In August 2005, Volavola ordered an inquiry into rumors of corruption involving Deputy Lord Mayor Vinod Lal. The inquiry was still current as the city went to the polls on 12 November to elect a new city council. The result was a landslide win for the SDL, which took 12 of the 20 seats, a gain of 5. The NFP retained only 5 of the 8 seats it had held, while the FLP was reduced from 5 seats to 3. The new council reelected Volavola unopposed on 17 November, with

Josefa Gavidi Josefa may refer to: * 649 Josefa, a minor planet * Josefa (given name), a unisex given name See also

* Josepha * José {{Disambig ...

, also of the SDL, as his deputy. He was re-elected in November 2008 for a record-setting sixth term. He was subsequently dismissed from office, however, by the

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

-backed regime that had taken power in a military coup on 5 December 2006.

Church official

Volavola was elected Vice-President of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma, Fiji's largest Christian denomination, on 31 August 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Volavola, Peni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Fijian Methodists Lord Mayors of Suva Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua politicians Fijian soldiers Fijian chiefs