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 ...

Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere (born 20 April 1964) is 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 ...

an chief and politician who is the

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 ...

since 2021. He has also been the chief of

Macuata Province Macuata is one of Fiji's fourteen Provinces, and one of three based principally on the northern island of Vanua Levu, occupying the north-eastern 40 percent of the island. It has a land area of 2004 square kilometers. The Province has 114 vill ...

since 2013, succeeding his older brother Aisea Katonivere, and was previously involved in conservation initiatives of Fiji's Great Sea Reef. Katonivere has been the chairman of the Pine Group of Companies from 2020 to 2021, which includes Fiji Pine Limited, Tropik Wood Industries Limited, and Tropik Wood Products Limited. He is also a board member for Fiji Airports,

Fiji Sugar Corporation Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) is the government-owned sugar milling company in Fiji having monopoly on production of raw sugar in Fiji. It is also the largest public enterprise in the country employing nearly 3,000 people, while another 200,000 o ...

and Rewa Rice Ltd.

Military career

At 19, Katonivere joined the Royal Fiji Military Forces in 1984 and served two tours in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

under the

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ( ar, قوة الأمم المتحدة المؤقتة في لبنان, he, כוח האו"ם הזמני בלבנון), or UNIFIL ( ar, يونيفيل, he, יוניפי״ל), is a UN peacekeeping m ...

. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Forces and served as a

Commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the Territorial Forces.

Political career

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 ...

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 ...

nominated Katonivere for President of the Republic of Fiji on 21 October 2021. He accepted the nomination in which

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

convened the next day to vote on the presidency. Katonivere garnered 28 votes defeating his contender

SODELPA The Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) is a Fijian political party. The party was formed in January 2013 after the dissolution of the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua. The party currently has no party leader. History Party foundation ...

Teimumu Kepa Ro Teimumu Vuikaba Kepa (born 18 December 1945) is a Fijian chief, former Member of the Parliament of Fiji, and former leader of the Social Democratic Liberal Party. She was the first Fijian woman to serve as Leader of the Opposition. She p ...

. Prior in becoming president, Katonivere resigned from all board positions he previously held.

Presidency (2021–present)

Katonivere was sworn in as the 6th President of Fiji on 12 November 2021 succeeding Jioji Konrote. At 57, he is the youngest person to have assumed the office. He is the second President to come from the Northern Division (after Ratu Penaia Ganilau). Katonivere took the oath of office in front of

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

Epeli Nailatikau Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, (born 5 July 1941) (often referred to as ''Na Turaga Mai Naisogolaca'') is a Fijian chief who was President of Fiji from 2009 to 2015. He has had a long career in the Military, diplomatic service, and go ...

and was awarded the 100 men

Guard of Honour A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...

. On 22 November 2021, Katonivere opened the new session of Parliament and delivered his key note address. He urged all eligible Fijians to be

vaccinated A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.< ...

against

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and warned about sudden price hikes in anticipation of borders reopening on 1 December 2021. He also supports the work of government for equality.

Electoral history

2021 Fijian presidential election

Katonivere was nominated as the

FijiFirst FijiFirst ( fj, iMatai ni Viti) is a liberal political party in Fiji. The party was formed in March 2014 by then Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama. Formation The party was launched on 31 March 2014 with Bainimarama beginning a nationwide tour of ...

government's candidate for the position of

, while

was nominated by

Opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...

Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

Lynda Tabuya Lynda Diseru Tabuya (born 1972) is a Fijian politician and lawyer who has served as the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation since 24 December 2022. And President Of Kadavu Rugby Union since 14 December 2023 Early life Tabuya gr ...

. He was able to gain the support of a majority of MPs in the first round of voting, thus defeating Kepa. An opposition MP, Mosese Bulitavu of SODELPA, had also voted for Katonivere.

Personal life

Katonivere was born on 20 April 1964 at the

Colonial War Memorial Hospital The Colonial War Memorial Hospital is a hospital located in Suva, Fiji. It was built and completed at the end of 1923. It was built with the assistance of £319,500. It replaced the Colonial Hospital which was first built in Levuka (the former c ...

in Suva to Ratu Soso Katonivere and Samanunu Boteiviwa as the youngest out of seven siblings. He attended Draiba Fijian School before completing his secondary education at Bua College in 1981. Katonivere hails from the village of Naduri, Macuata in

Vanua Levu Vanua Levu (pronounced ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 . Geology Fiji lies in a tectonically ...

. He is married to Filomena Katonivere and they have two children and three grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katonivere, Wiliame 1964 births Living people Fijian chiefs Fijian soldiers Politicians from Suva Presidents of Fiji United Nations military personnel