The Speaker was the presiding officer of the
Fijian
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. At its first session following a
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 ( ...
, the House members elected a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker.
With a view to ensuring impartiality, the Speaker was not allowed to be a member of the House, though he was required to qualify for membership. The Deputy Speaker, however, was elected from among members of the House.
The office of Speaker was an essential feature of the parliamentary system, and has proved to be the most durable of all the Westminster parliamentary traditions.
The
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 legislat ...
was preceded by
Legislative Council of Fiji. In the
2013 Constitution, the House of Representatives was abolished, and replaced by a
single chamber Parliament.
List of speakers of the House of Representatives of Fiji (1970–2013)
References
{{Reflist
See also
*
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 legislat ...
*
Senate of Fiji
The Senate of Fiji was the upper chamber of Parliament. It was abolished by the 2013 Constitution of Fiji, after a series of military coups. It was the less powerful of the two chambers; it could not initiate legislation, but could amend or veto ...
*
President of the Senate of Fiji
Fiji, House of Representatives, Speakers
Fiji, House of Representatives
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...