The ethnic composition of both chambers is preserved in that indigenous Fijians have 23 guaranteed seats in the House of Representatives; citizens of Indian descent 19; European, Chinese, and other minorities 3 seats; and the island of Rotuma 1 guaranteed seat; the remaining 25 seats are openly contested. The president appoints the senators, 14 on the nomination by the Great Council of Chiefs, 9 by the prime minister, 8 by the opposition leader, and 1 by the Council of Rotuma. The complicated arrangement seeks to ensure that all ethnic communities are properly represented. In December 2006 a military coup brought to power a prime minister from the armed forces.

History

Originally inhabited by Melanesian and Polynesian peoples, Fiji's first European visitor was Abel Tasman in 1643. Fiji became a British possession in 1874 and achieved full independence within the Commonwealth in 1970.

Ethnic divisions

Before independence there had been racial tension between Indians, descended from workers brought from India in the late 19th century, and Fijians, so the constitution incorporated an electoral system that would ensure racial balance in the House of Representatives. Traditionally the Fijians supported the Alliance Party, led by Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. The Indians supported the National Federation Party (NFP), led by Siddiq Koya. The main divisions between the two centred on land ownership, with the Fijians owning more than 80% of the land and defending their traditional rights, and the Indians demanding greater security of land tenure. The Indian-oriented Fijian Labour Party (FLP) was formed in 1985.

Military coup establishes a republic in 1987

The April 1987 general election brought to power an Indian-dominated coalition, led by Dr Timoci Bavadra, which provoked unease among ethic Fijians, who dominated the armed forces. In May 1987, Lt-Col Sitiveni Rabuka attempted to oust the government in a military coup, but pulled back after intervention by the governor general and the Great Council of Chiefs. But in September-October 1987, Rabuka led a second coup, which succeeded. Queen Elizabeth II of Britain accepted the resignation of the governor general, thereby giving up her role as head of state and making Fiji a republic. Fiji's membership of the Commonwealth was suspended.

A new constitution was introduced in 1990, replacing that of 1970. It institutionalized dominance of the political system by ethnic Fijians, through reserving them a majority of seats in the legislature. The first elections under this constitution were held in May 1992 and were won by Rabuka and his supporters. Rabuka, who had given up his army post, became prime minister. President Ganilau died in December 1993 and was succeeded by Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, who was re-elected in January 1999.

1997 constitution and re-admission to Commonwealth

Rabuka and his Fijian Political Party (SVT) were re-elected in 1994. In 1995 he set up a Constitutional Review Commission which framed a new constitution able to win the support of both ethnic Fijians and the Indo-Fijian community. This constitution was approved in July 1997. It no longer guaranteed ethnic Fijians a majority in parliament and did not discriminate against the ethnic Indian majority. This enabled Fiji to be readmitted to the Commonwealth in September 1997.

The economy contracted by around 2% in both 1997 and 1998, mainly as a result of a slump in sugar production and gold mining.

In December 1998 a new governing coalition was formed by the ruling SVT, the Indian-dominated NFP, and the United General Party (UGP).

Fiji's first Indo-Fijian prime minister: 1999

The May 1999 general election resulted in a landslide victory for the People's Coalition, with the largest party in the coalition, the FLP, securing an outright majority of seats. The FLP leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, became Fiji's first prime minister of Indian descent, heading a multi-ethnic governing coalition. In August 1999 there were bomb blasts in the capital, Suva.

2000 coup

In April 2000 the government faced criticism from the revived extremist Melanesian nationalist group, Taukei, which claimed that the government was following policies and promoting land use which were detrimental to Fijians. Against this background, the businessman George Speight, supported by masked civilians, attempted a coup in May 2000, storming parliament and taking the prime minister and his cabinet hostage. There were also riots in Suva. The powerful Great Council of Chiefs responded to the rebels' demands by offering to dismiss Chaudhry's government and ban Indo-Fijians from power.

Exploiting the situation, the military seized power. They forced President Kamisese Mara to step down, and Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the head of the armed forces, took over. He declared martial law, and revoked the 1997 democratic constitution. This led to international condemnation and the threat from Commonwealth countries that, unless democracy was restored, trade and aid sanctions would be imposed, and Fiji would be suspended again from the Commonwealth.

In July 2000 agreement was reached between the military and Speight to release Chaudhry and his cabinet ministers, who were still being held hostage. The military also handed executive power over to a new president, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, chosen by Speight, with Laisenia Qarase as prime minister. The rebels negotiated a total amnesty for themselves, and succeeded in having the 1997 constitution revoked, and thus to reduce the rights of the Indo-Fijian minority. The amnesty was revoked, however, because Speight refused to give up stolen weapons. In August 2000, Speight and 12 of his supporters were charged with conspiring to overthrow the lawfully elected government. Meanwhile, ex-premier Chaudhry visited New Zealand, India, and the United Kingdom as part of a campaign to restore democracy.

In November 2000 there was renewed unrest when troops who had supported the May 2000 coup attempted (unsuccessfully) to take over the country's main barracks and kidnap Bainimarama. Soon after, the high court ruled that Chaudhry's deposed government should be reinstated. The army appealed, but in March 2001, the appeal court reaffirmed the ruling, and the government resigned. President Iloilo was re-appointed president by the Great Council of Chiefs and he re-appointed the resigned government as an interim government pending fresh elections.

New government

Speight contested the September 2001 general election from a prison cell, as he was facing trial on treason charges. He was a candidate of the indigenous Fijian's Matanitu Vanua (MV; Conservative Alliance) and was elected to parliament, as was Mahendra Chaudhry. The election was narrowly won by a coalition dominated by a newly formed centre-right party, the United Fiji Party (Soosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua: SDL), whose leader, Laisenia Qarase, who had been prime minister since July 2000, remained in office. Despite a series of Supreme Court rulings that he should include members of the FLP in his cabinet (to reflect their strength in parliament), he refused to do do and headed a government composed entirely of ethnic Fijians.

In February 2002 Speight was sentenced to death for treason, but President Iloilo later commuted the sentence to life imprisonment.

Further military coup in 2006

The May 2006 geneeral election brought a narrow victory for the SDL, which won 36 seats to 31 won by the FLP. The new Qarase government proposed setting up a Reconciliation and Unity Commission, which might grant and amnesty and award compensation to perpetrators of the 2000 attempted coup, many of whom were supporters of the government. The military strongly opposed this. In November 2006 Commodore Bainimarama gave the government a deadline of 4 December to meet his demands to abandon a bill to pardon participants in the 2000 attempted coup or to resign.

Qarase refused to back down. So on 5 December Commodore Bainimarama dissolved parliament and took over control of the country on the grounds that the government was racist and corrupt. A day later Bainimarama declared a state of emergency. In January 2007 Iloilo was restored his presidential powers, but immediately he appointed Bainimarama as prime minister.

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