Politics of Fiji 54575 214153084 2008-05-22T09:37:26Z Gadfium 54381 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/124.183.145.149|124.183.145.149]] ([[User talk:124.183.145.149|talk]]) to last version by Gadfium {{Politics of Fiji}} '''Politics of Fiji''' takes place in a framework of a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[republic]], whereby the [[List of Prime Ministers of Fiji|Prime Minister of Fiji]] is the [[head of government]], and of a [[multi-party system]]. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the [[government]] and the [[Parliament (Fiji)|Parliament of Fiji]]. The [[Judiciary]] is independent of the executive and the legislature. == Constitutional Structure == *''See main article: [[Constitution of Fiji]] and linked articles.'' === Executive branch === *''Main article: [[Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 7]]'' {{office-table}} |[[List of Presidents of Fiji|President]] |[[Ratu]] [[Josefa Iloilo]] | |[[13 July]] [[2000]] |- |[[List of Vice-Presidents of Fiji|Vice-President]] |''vacant'' | |[[5 December]] 2006 |- |Prime Minister |[[Frank Bainimarama|Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama]] | |[[5 January]] [[2007]] |} [[Fiji]]'s [[List of Fijian Heads of State|Head of State]] is the President. He is elected by the ''[[Great Council of Chiefs (Fiji)|Great Council of Chiefs]],'' after consulting with the Prime Minister, for a five-year term. Although his role is largely an honorary one, modelled after that of the British monarchy, the President has certain [[reserve powers|"reserve powers"]] that may be used in the event of a national crisis. In practice, attempts by the President to assert the reserve powers have proved problematic. In 2000, in the midst of a civilian [[Fiji coup of 2000|coup d'état]] against the elected government, President [[Kamisese Mara|Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara]] announced on [[27 May]] that he was assuming executive authority, but was evidently forced to resign two days later by the [[Military of Fiji|military]] commander, [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] Frank Bainimarama. The President is also the [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the Armed Forces. Actual executive power is in the hands of the [[Cabinet (Fiji)|Cabinet]], presided over by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is formally appointed by the President, but must be acceptable to a majority of the [[House of Representatives (Fiji)|House of Representatives]]. In practice, this usually reduces the President's role to little more than a formality, with the position automatically going to the leader of the [[List of political parties in Fiji|political party]] or [[coalition]] that controls a majority of seats. There have been times, however, when there has been no clear majority in the House of Representatives. The [[Fiji election of 1992|parliamentary election]] of [[1992]] was inconclusive, and the position of the largest party, the [[Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei]], was further undermined by subsequent defections. On such occasions, the President takes on the role of an arbitrator. After consulting with all the parliamentary factions, he appoints as Prime Minister the person he judges to be the most acceptable to the majority in the House of Representatives. If no such person can be found, the President is required to order a new [[List of parliamentary elections in Fiji|election]]. Another situation requiring presidential intervention arose following the [[Fiji election of 1999|1999 election]]. The [[People's Coalition (Fiji)|People's Coalition]] won a landslide victory; with the largest party in the coalition, the [[Fiji Labour Party]], winning a majority in its own right. Some of the smaller parties in the coalition expressed unease at the prospect of [[Mahendra Chaudhry]], the Labour Party leader and an [[Indo-Fijian]], becoming Prime Minister, saying that he would be unacceptable to [[Fijian people|indigenous Fijian]] voters that they represented. President Mara, however, persuaded them to accept Chaudhry as Prime Minister. The Cabinet, consisting of around ten to twenty five [[Cabinet minister|ministers]], is formally appointed by the President on the nomination of the Prime Minister. According to the constitution, the Cabinet is supposed to reflect the political composition of the House of Representatives, with every party holding more than 8 seats in the House entitled to proportionate representation in the Cabinet. In practice, this rule has never been strictly implemented. In 1999, Chaudhry refused to give ministerial posts to the Fijian Political Party, saying that its demands were unacceptable. From 2001 to 2004, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, whose coalition dominated by his Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua had narrowly won the [[Fiji election of 2001|2001 election]], refused to include the Fiji Labour Party in his cabinet, and avoided implementing several subsequent [[Supreme Court (Fiji)|Supreme Court]] verdicts ordering him to do so by appealing each successive verdict, until the Labour Party announced late in [[2004]] that it was no longer interested in joining the cabinet. === Legislative branch === *''Main article: [[Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 6]]'' Fiji's Parliament consists of two houses. The more powerful of the two chambers, the House of Representatives, has 71 members, elected for five-year terms. 25 are elected by universal suffrage. The remaining 46 are reserved for Fiji's [[Demographics of Fiji|ethnic communities]] and are elected from communal electoral rolls: 23 Fijians, 19 Indo-Fijians, 1 [[Rotuman]], and 3 "[[General Electors (Fiji)|General electors]]" (Europeans, Chinese, and other minorities). The House chooses a [[List of Speakers of the House of Representatives (Fiji)|Speaker]], who is not allowed to be a present member of the House. The "upper chamber," the [[Senate (Fiji)|Senate]], is primarily a house of review: it may not initiate legislation, but may amend or reject it. The 32 Senators are formally appointed by the President on the nomination of the Great Council of Chiefs (14), the Prime Minister (9), the [[Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)|Leader of the Opposition]] (8), and the [[Council of Rotuma]] (1). Senators as well as Representatives may serve as Cabinet Ministers. The [[Attorney General (Fiji)|Attorney General]], Fiji's top legal official who sits in the Cabinet, is the only member of Parliament permitted to attend sessions of both chambers. The Attorney General has voting rights only in the chamber to which he or she was elected or appointed, but is authorized to attend and participate in debates in the other chamber. === Judicial branch === *''Main article: [[Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 9]]'' Fiji maintains an independent judiciary, with judicial power vested in three courts (the [[High Court (Fiji)|High Court]], [[Court of Appeal (Fiji)|Court of Appeal]], and Supreme Court) established by the Constitution, which also makes provision for other courts to be set up by Parliament; [[Magistrates' Courts (Fiji)|Magistrates' Courts]] have accordingly been set up. The High Court and the Supreme Court are both presided over by the [[Chief Justice (Fiji)|Chief Justice]] (currently [[Daniel Fatiaki]]); the Chief Justice is barred, however, from membership of the Court of Appeal, which has its own [[President of the Court of Appeal (Fiji)|President]] (currently [[Gordon Ward]]). The Appeal Court, which did not exist prior to the 1997 Constitution, has the power ''"to hear and determine appeals"'' from judgements of the High Court; decisions of this court may be further appealed to the Supreme Court, whose decision is final. The judiciary managed to maintain its independence from political control in the aftermath of the coups of [[1987]]. Following the 2000 coup, however, its integrity was compromised, in the eye of many, when three judges (including Fatiaki) advised then-President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to abrogate the constitution. Mara refused and resigned; a military administration replaced him. Then Chief Justice recognized the military government, triggering widespread disappointment to those who had seen the judiciary as a model of independence. On [[15 November]] 2000, however, the High Court forced the reinstatement of the 1997 Constitution, which had been abrogated in June following the forced resignation of President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara on [[29 May]]. === Local government === *''Main article: [[Local government of Fiji]]'' There are four administrative divisions ([[Central Division (Fiji)|Central]], [[Eastern Division (Fiji)|Eastern]], [[Northern Division (Fiji)|Northern]] and [[Western Division (Fiji)|Western]]), each under the charge of a Commissioner appointed by the central government. The divisions are further subdivided into fourteen provinces, each of which has a Provincial Council. In addition, the island of [[Rotuma]] has the status of a ''dependency,'' and enjoys a degree of internal autonomy, with its own island council. Ethnic Fijians have their own administration in which councils preside over a hierarchy of provinces, districts, and villages. The councils deal with all matters affecting ethnic Fijians. The 55-member Great Council of Chiefs ''(Bose Levu Vakaturaga'' in [[Fijian language|Fijian]]) includes 3 representatives from each of Fiji's 14 provinces and 1 dependency, 3 ex-officio members (the President, Vice-President, and Prime Minister), and 6 government appointees; former Prime Minister [[Sitiveni Rabuka]] is a life-member. The Great Council of Chiefs advises the government, and also functions as an [[electoral college]] to appoint the President of the Republic, as well as 14 of the 32 Senators. This prerogative of the Council has been delegated to the 14 provincial councils, each choosing one Senator. [[Suva]], [[Lautoka]], and nine other towns have [[municipal]] governments, with city or town councils, each chaired by a [[Mayor]]. These are responsible for the local affairs of all citizens, and are elected by [[universal suffrage]]. == Political conditions == In April [[1970]], a constitutional conference in London agreed that Fiji should become a fully sovereign and independent nation within the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. Fiji became independent on [[October 10]] of that year. Post-independence politics came to be dominated by Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and the [[Fijian Alliance|Alliance Party]], which commanded the support of the traditional Fijian chiefs, along with leading elements of the European and part-European communities, and some Indo-Fijians. The main parliamentary opposition, the [[National Federation Party (Fiji)|National Federation Party]], represented mainly rural Indo-Fijians. Intercommunal relations were managed without serious confrontation. A short-lived [[Fiji Constitutional Crisis of 1977|constitutional crisis]] developed after the [[Fiji election of 1977 (March)|parliamentary election]] of March [[1977]], when the Indian-led National Federation Party (NFP) won a narrow majority of seats in the House of Representatives, but failed to form a government due to internal leadership problems, as well as concerns among some of its members that indigenous Fijians would not accept Indo-Fijian leadership. The NFP splintered in a leadership brawl three days after the election; in a controversial move, the [[List of Governors-General of Fiji|Governor General]], [[George Cakobau|Ratu Sir George Cakobau]], called on the defeated Mara to form an interim government, pending [[Fiji election of 1977 (September)|a second election]] to resolve the impasse. This was held in September that year, and saw Mara's Alliance Party returned with a record majority of 36 parliamentary seats out of 52. The majority of the Alliance Party was reduced in the [[Fiji election of 1982|election]] of [[1982]], but with 28 seats out of 52, Mara retained power. Mara proposed a "government of national unity" - a grand coalition between his Alliance Party and the NFP, but the NFP leader, [[Jai Ram Reddy]], rejected this. == The Two Coups of 1987 == *''See main article: [[Fiji coups of 1987]]'' In April 1987, a coalition led by Dr [[Timoci Bavadra]], an ethnic Fijian who was nevertheless supported mostly by the Indo-Fijian community, won the [[Fiji election of 1987|general election]] and formed Fiji's first majority Indian government, with Dr Bavadra serving as Prime Minister. After less than a month in office, Dr Bavadra was forcibly removed from power during a military coup led by Lt. Col. [[Sitiveni Rabuka]] on [[14 May]], 1987. Rabuka had served with the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon.<ref>Politics, Professionalism, and Peacekeeping: An Analysis of the 1987 Military Coup in Fiji, Andrew Scobell, Comparative Politics, Vol. 26, No. 2. (Jan., 1994), pp. 187-201. </ref> After a period of continued jockeying and negotiation, Rabuka staged a second coup on [[September 25]], 1987. The military government revoked the constitution and declared Fiji a republic on [[October 10]], the seventeenth anniversary of Fiji's independence from the [[United Kingdom]]. This action, coupled with protests by the government of [[India]], led to Fiji's expulsion from the Commonwealth and official nonrecognition of the Rabuka regime by foreign governments, including [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. On [[December 6]], Rabuka resigned as Head of State, and the former Governor-General, [[Penaia Ganilau|Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau]], was appointed the first President of the Fijian Republic. Mara was reappointed Prime Minister, and Rabuka became Minister of Home Affairs. == The Republic == The new government drafted a new constitution that went into force in July [[1990]]. Under its terms, majorities were reserved for ethnic Fijians in both houses of the legislature. Previously, in [[1989]], the government had released statistical information showing that for the first time since [[1946]], ethnic Fijians were a majority of the population. More than 12,000 Indo-Fijians and other minorities had left the country in the two years following the 1987 coups. After resigning from the military, Rabuka became Prime Minister under the new constitution in 1992. Ethnic tensions simmered in [[1995]]-[[1996]] over the renewal of Indo-Fijian land leases and political maneuvering surrounding the mandated 7-year review of the 1990 constitution. The Constitutional Review Commission produced a draft constitution which slightly expanded the size of the legislature, lowered the proportion of seats reserved by ethnic group, reserved the presidency for ethnic Fijians but opened the position of prime minister to all races. Prime Minister Rabuka and President Mara supported the proposal, while the nationalist indigenous Fijian parties opposed it. The reformed constitution was approved in July 1997. Fiji was readmitted to the Commonwealth in October. The first legislative elections held under the new constitution took place in May [[1999]]. Rabuka's coalition was defeated by an alliance of Indo-Fijian parties led by Mahendra Chaudhry, who became Fiji's first Indo-Fijian prime minister. == The Coup of 2000 == {{main|2000 Fijian coup d'état}} Chaudhry's government was short-lived. After barely a year in office, Chaudhry and most other members of parliament were taken hostage in the House of Representatives by gunmen led by ethnic Fijian nationalist [[George Speight]], on [[19 May]] 2000. The standoff dragged on for 8 weeks - during which time Chaudhry was removed from office by the then-president Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara because of his inability to govern - before the Fijian military seized power and brokered a negotiated end to the situation, then arrested Speight when he violated its terms. Former banker Laisenia Qarase was named interim Prime Minister and head of the interim civilian government by the military and the Great Council of Chiefs in July. A court order restored the constitution early in [[2001]], and a subsequent election confirmed Qarase as Prime Minister. ==The Coup of 2006== {{main|2006 Fijian coup d'état attempt}} Disgruntled by two bills before the Fijian Parliament, one offering amnesty for the leaders of the 2000 coup, the military leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama asked Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to resign in mid October, 2006. The Prime Minister attempted to sack Bainimarama without success. Australian and New Zealand governments expressed concerns about a possible coup. On [[4 November]] 2006, Qarase dropped the controversial amnesty measures from the bill. [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10409175] On [[29 November]] New Zealand [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand)|Foreign Minister]] [[Winston Peters]] organised talks in [[Wellington]] between Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and Commodore Bainimarama. Peters reported the talks as "positive" but after returning to Fiji Commodore Bainimarama announced that the military were to take over most of Suva and fire into the harbour "in anticipation of any foreign intervention".[http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3882815a10,00.html] Bainimarama announced on [[3 December]] 2006 that he had taken control of Fiji. [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10413559] Bainimarama restored the Presidency to Ratu Iloilo on [[4 January]] 2007,<ref>[[Fiji Village]], 04-01-07, 'Commander hands back Executive Authority to Ratu Iloilo ' "[http://www.fijivillage.com/artman/publish/article_34881.shtml]"</ref><ref>[[Fiji Live]], 04-01-07, 'I support army takeover: Iloilo' "[http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2007/01/04/04fijilive09.html]"</ref> and in turn was formally appointed interim Prime Minister by Iloilo the next day.<ref>Fiji Village, 05-01-07, 'Commander Bainimarama sworn in' "[http://www.fijivillage.com/artman/publish/article_34896.shtml]"</ref><ref>Fiji Live, 05-01-07, 'President swears in interim PM' "[http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2007/01/05/05fijilive08.html]"</ref> == Contentious Issues == Most of Fiji's political controversies are related to the ethnic faultline that characterizes Fijian politics. Fiji is one of the rare countries in the world that officially imposes disabilities on a group that constitutes a large part of the population, on the basis of [[racism|race]].<ref>http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:cx5D70Nj8MYJ:www.cdnn.info/special-report/fiji_coup/fiji_coup.html+fiji+racism&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1</ref><ref>[http://web.amnesty.org/wire/may2001/index Amnesty International<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It has caused an exodus of the Indians, who until recently formed slight majority in Fiji.<ref>[http://migration.ucdavis.edu/MN/more.php?id=2176_0_5_0 Migration News - Migration Dialogue<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> === Land tenure === One of the main issues that has fuelled the contention over the years is land tenure. Indigenous Fijian communities very closely identify themselves with their land. In [[1909]] near the peak of the inflow of indentured Indian laborers, the land ownership pattern was frozen and further sales prohibited. Today over 80% of the land is held by indigenous Fijians, under the collective ownership of the traditional Fijian clans. Indo-Fijians produce over 90% of the sugar crop but must lease the land they work from its ethnic Fijian owners instead of being able to buy it outright. The leases have been generally for 10 years, although they are usually renewed for two 10-year extensions. Many Indo-Fijians argue that these terms do not provide them with adequate security and have pressed for renewable 30-year leases, while many ethnic Fijians fear that an Indo-Fijian government would erode their control over the land. The Indo-Fijian parties' major voting bloc is made up of [[sugarcane]] farmers. The farmers' main tool of influence has been their ability to galvanize widespread boycotts of the [[sugar]] industry, thereby crippling the economy. === Citizenship and residency issues === [[Dual citizenship]] is prohibited by the Constitution. During the 2001 - [[2006]] parliamentary term, however, the Fijian government has been working on legislation to grant lifetime nationality to indigenous Fijians living abroad, exempting them from the dual citizenship ban. The legislation, first introduced in [[2003]], has been opposed by the Fiji Labour Party, which considers it unfair to the Indo-Fijian community. The FLP has been promoting an alternative proposal to allow any former resident who has at least [[Fijian dollar|F$250,000]] to return to invest, without bureaucratic hindrances. While supporting the change, [[Fiji Retailers Association]] President [[Himmat Lodhia]] said that Indo-Fijians should be included also. ''"This type of anomaly will breed feelings not conducive to the present stance of the Government when they are promoting goodwill and unity,"' Lodhia said. [[Lands Minister]] [[Samisoni Tikoinasau]] defended the change, saying that it was unfair that Fijians enrolled in the ''[[Vola ni Kawa Bula]]'' (VKB, or Native Landowners' Register) should be regarded as foreigners on their return to Fiji. ''"It is unfair when a Fijian in the VKB who migrates overseas is regarded a foreigner upon his/her return at Nadi International Airport. It is absurd when the owner of the land is no longer accepted as a citizen of that land. That is not fair. The landowner status should not be taken away'' ==Political parties and elections== {{elect|List of political parties in Fiji|Elections in Fiji}} {{main|Fiji election of 2006}} {{Fiji election of 2006}} ==International organization participation== [[ACP countries|ACP]], [[Asian Development Bank|AsDB]], [[Colombo Plan|CP]], [[Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific|ESCAP]], [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], [[Group of 77|G-77]], [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]], [[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]], [[International Criminal Court|ICC]], [[International Confederation of Free Trade Unions|ICFTU]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[International Fund for Agricultural Development|IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, [[International Hydrographic Organization|IHO]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Maritime Organization|IMO]], [[Intelsat]], [[Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] (subscriber), [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|OPCW]], [[Permanent Court of Arbitration|PCA]], [[Sparteca]], [[Secretariat of the Pacific Community|SPC]], [[South Pacific Forum|SPF]], [[United Nations|UN]], [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon|UNIFIL]], [[United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission|UNIKOM]], [[United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina|UNMIBH]], [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo|UNMIK]], [[Universal Postal Union|UPU]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]], [[World Tourism Organization|WToO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTrO]] ==Notes== <references/> {{Oceania in topic|Politics of}} {{Pacific Islands Forum}} [[Category:Politics of Fiji| ]] [[el:Πολιτική και εκλογές στα Φίτζι]] [[es:Política de Fiyi]] [[fr:Politique des Fidji]]