Parliament of Fiji

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Parliament of Fiji
Coat of arms of Fiji Parliament building
logo Parliament building
Basic data
Seat: Suva , Central Division
Legislative period : four years
First session: October 6, 2014
MPs: 51 MPs
Current legislative period
Last choice: November 14, 2018
Chair: Epeli Nailatikau
FijiParliament2018.svg
Distribution of seats: Government (27)
  •  FF 27

Opposition (24)

Website
www.parliament.gov.fj

The Parliament ( English : Parliament ) is the legislature in the unicameral system of the Republic of Fiji . According to the constitution passed in 2013, members of parliament are elected every four years from a list . The number of MPs was increased from 50 to 51 in 2018.

Until the military coup in 2006 , Fiji had a bicameral parliament with a house of representatives and a senate .

history

The first parliament in Fiji was established in November 1871 in the British crown colony of Fiji. Finally, in 1964, the first democratic elections followed. In July 1965 a constituent conference was held in London, where the next steps towards independence were negotiated.

On October 10, 1970, Fiji finally achieved independence from the United Kingdom and declared itself a parliamentary democracy . The legislature was built according to the Westminster system with upper house and lower house. The first elections after independence took place in 1972 and were won by the Alliance Party of Kamisese Mara with 33 out of 52 seats. The first defeat for democracy occurred in 1987, when a coup the military deposed the government and parliament.

Fiji returned to democracy on June 29, 1992 when President Penaia Ganilau opened the new parliament. A second military coup finally took place in 2006, initiated by the current Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama .

After the new constitution was passed, new elections were scheduled for September 2014 and the new parliament was finally sworn in on October 6, 2014. It is made up of 50 members who are elected via national electoral lists according to proportional representation.

Parliament building

The plenum meets in the capital Suva in the government complex ( english : Government Buildings ), where next to the Parliament, numerous ministries and the Constitutional Court ( English : High Court ) are housed. The first parliament after independence in 1970 and the newly constituted parliament after the military coup in 1987 met in the same building . Between 1992 and 2006, the MPs met in Veiuto. In the center of the building is the plenary hall , which is laid out in a U shape and at the end of which the speaker takes his seat with his scepter.

elections

The seats are allocated proportionally to the parties. There is a 5% threshold to prevent too small parties from moving in and to make the plenary easier to work. Candidates must:

  • have reached the age of 18
  • Be a Fijian citizen only
  • Have lived in Fiji for at least 24 months
  • register in the electoral register

Elections 2014

In the parliamentary elections in 2014, the FijiFirst party won an absolute majority with 32 out of 50 seats. The Social Democratic Liberal Party won 15 seats and the National Federation Party 3 seats.

Elections 2018

In the 2018 parliamentary elections, the FijiFirst party won an absolute majority with 27 out of 51 seats. The Social Democratic Liberal Party won 21 seats and the National Federation Party 3 seats.

Web links

Commons : Parliament of Fiji  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Fiji Parliament , Inter-Parliamentary Union database, accessed February 2016.
  2. ^ Ratu Epeli Nailatikau is New Speaker , parliament.gov.fj, accessed April 2019.
  3. ↑ a b History of the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji ( Memento of the original from February 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Parliament website, accessed February 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.parliament.gov.fj
  4. ^ Electoral System , Database of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Accessed February 2016.
  5. ↑ Candidates' Handbook. (pdf) Fijians Elections Office, pp. 12–13 , accessed on October 3, 2018 (English).