Fiji
The Republic of Fiji Islands (or Fiji) lies in the South Pacific Ocean. It is made up of 332 islands, with a total landmass of 18,270 square kilometers (7,000 square miles). The land is mostly mountainous forest of volcanic origin. Fiji claims natural resources of timber, fish, gold, and copper. It has a population of about 833,000, made up of Fijians (51%), Fijian Indians (43%), and Europeans, other Pacific Islanders, Chinese, and mixed races (6%). Sugar exports and the tourist industry are the major sources of foreign exchange.
In 1865 Fiji's first constitution was drawn up and signed by seven paramount chiefs. The arrangement collapsed in 1867, and Fiji was ceded to Great Britain as a colony in 1874. It finally became independent in 1970. Two military coups occurred in 1987, and in 1990 a new constitution, which weighted government representation in favor of Fijians, came into effect. In 1997 the Constitution of the Sovereign Democratic Republic of Fiji, designed to balance the demands of the two major ethnic groups, replaced that document.
In May 2000 the Indo-Fijian prime minister and members of parliament were taken hostage in a civilian-led coup. An interim military government formed in July of that year; it negotiated the release of the hostages and established an interim civilian government. The Court of Appeal upheld a challenge to the validity of the civilian government and ruled that the 1997 constitution remained the supreme law of Fiji. The interim civilian government refused to step down and was validated by the 2001 national election results.
Fiji is a republic and a member of the Commonwealth. The constitution established a Westminster-style system of parliamentary democracy. The national legislature is bicameral. There are seventy members in the House of Representatives. Thirty-seven seats are reserved for Fijians. twenty-seven for Indians, one for a Rotuman, and five for other ethnic groups. Elections are based on the preferential system of voting. The Senate consists of thirty-two members appointed by the president on the advice of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga (Great Council of Chiefs) (which recommends fourteen members), the prime minister (nine members), the leader of the opposition (eight members), and the Council of Rotuma (one member). Bills originate in the House of Representatives and normally must pass both houses and secure the president's consent. The functions of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga include advising the president, making recommendations for the benefit of the Fijian people, and considering draft legislation related to Fijians.
(MAP BY MARYLAND CARTOGRAPHICS/THE GALE GROUP)The executive authority of the state is vested in the president, who is appointed by the Bose Levu Vakaturaga, after consultation with the prime minister, for a term of five years. The president appoints the prime minister on the basis of majority support in the House of Representatives. The prime minister is under duty to establish a multiparty cabinet. In 2002 the Court of Appeal declared the prime minister, Laisenia Qarase (b. 1941), to be in contravention of this provision. That decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2003.
Judicial power in the state lies with the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, and any other courts created by law. The constitution contains a "Bill of Rights" establishing a Human Rights Commission. The constitution also contains a compact that governs interpretation of the constitution and laws formulated according to it.
Constitutional Monarchy.
Bibliography
Corrin Care, Jennifer. "Unfinished Constitutional Business: Human Rights in Fiji Islands." Alternative Law Journal 25, no. 4 (2000):223–226.
Corrin Care, Jennifer, Teresa Newton, and Donald Paterson. Introduction to South Pacific Law. London: Cavendish, 1999.
Lal, Brij V., and Tomasi R. Vakatora. Fiji in Transition. Suva, Fiji Islands: School of Social and Economic Developmment, University of the South Pacific, 1997.
Ministry of Information. Fiji Government Online. <http://fiji.gov.fj/>.
Paterson, Donald, and Stephen Zorn. "Fiji." In South Pacific Island Legal Systems, ed. Michael Ntumy. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1993.
University of the South Pacific, School of Law. 2000–2001 Crisis in Fiji Islands. <http://www.vanuatu.usp.ac.fj/jo urnal_splaw/Special_Interest/Fiji_2000/ Fiji_Main.html>.
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