Constitution: 10 October 1970 (suspended 1 October 1987); a new
Constitution was proposed on 23 September 1988 and promulgated on 25
July 1990; the 1990 Constitution is under review; the review is
scheduled to be complete by 1997
Legal system: based on British system
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA (since 12 January
1994); First Vice President Ratu Sir Josaia TAIVAIQIA (since 12
January 1994); Second Vice President Ratu Inoke TAKIVEIKATA (since 12
January 1994); note - President GANILAU died on 15 December 1993 and
Vice President MARA became acting president; MARA was elected
president by the Great Council of Chiefs on 12 January 1994
head of government: Prime Minister Sitiveni RABUKA (since 2 June 1992)
Presidential Council: appointed by the governor general
Great Council of Chiefs: highest ranking members of the traditional
chiefly system
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by prime minister from members of
Parliament and responsible to Parliament
Legislative branch: the bicameral Parliament was dissolved following
the coup of 14 May 1987
Senate: nonelective body containing 34 seats, 24 reserved for ethnic
Fijians, 9 for Indians and others, 1 for the island of Rotuma;
appointed by President
House of Representatives: elections last held 18-25 February 1994
(next to be held NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (70 total, with ethnic Fijians allocated 37 seats, ethnic
Indians 27 seats, and independents and other 6 seats) number of seats
by party SVT 31, NFP 20, FLP 7, FA 5, GVP 4, independents 2, ANC 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Fijian Political Party (SVT - primarily Fijian), leader Maj. Gen. Sitivini RABUKA; National Federation Party (NFP; primarily Indian), Jai Ram REDDY; Fijian Nationalist Party (FNP), Sakeasi BUTADROKA; Fiji Labor Party (FLP), Mahendra CHAUDHRY; General Voters Party (GVP), Bill SORBY; Fiji Conservative Party (FCP), Isireli VUIBAU; Conservative Party of Fiji (CPF), Jolale ULUDOLE and Viliame SAVU; Fiji Indian Liberal Party, Swami MAHARAJ; Fiji Indian Congress Party, Ishwari BAJPAI; Fiji Independent Labor (Muslim), leader NA; Four Corners Party, David TULVANUAVOU; Fijian Association (FA), leader NA; General Electors' Association, leader NA note: in early 1995, ethnic Fijian members of the All National Congress (ANC) merged with the Fijian Association (FA); the new FA is scheduled to hold its first meeting in April 1995 at which time the leaders of the party will be chosen; it is likely that Josevata KAMIKAMICA, the leader of the FA before the merger, will be elected leader and Adi Kuini Bavadra SPEED, the leader of the ANC before the merger, will be elected deputy leader; the remaining members of the ANC have renamed their party the General Electors' Association
Member of: ACP, AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
ITU, PCA, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Pita Kewa NACUVA chancery: Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996 consulate(s): New York