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The 1970 Constitution went into effect 9 October 1970, [3] signaling Fiji's independence from Britain (though it remained a member of the Commonwealth). [4]The Constitution set up a House of Representatives requiring 22 seats to represent voters registered as Fijian, 22 to those registered as Indian, and 8 to voters registered as neither.
Fiji's fourth constitution, the 2013 Constitution of Fiji, was signed into law by President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau on 6 September 2013, coming into effect immediately. [1] [2] It is the first to eliminate race-based electoral rolls, race-based seat quotas, district-based representation, the unelected upper chamber, and the role of the hereditary Council of Chiefs.
The 1997 Constitution of Fiji was the supreme law of Fiji from its adoption in 1997 until 2009 when President Josefa Iloilo purported to abrogate it. It was also suspended for a period following the 2000 coup d'état led by George Speight .
As well as the rest of the world, Fiji had been influenced by the financial crisis of 2007–2008 before the constitutional crisis began. Fiji's foreign currency reserves had fallen by 1/3 during 2008 and, in February 2009, Standard and Poor's downgraded Fiji's long term credit rating from stable to negative. [20]
Section 1 states that "The Republic of the Fiji Islands is a sovereign, democratic state." This underscoring of Fiji's commitment to democracy comes against the backdrop of political instability that has sometimes plagued Fiji, resulting in two coups d'état prior to the adoption of the constitution, and a third and fourth since.
This article lists the heads of state of Fiji, from the establishment of the Kingdom of Fiji in 1871 to the present day. Currently, the head of state of Fiji is the president of the republic, appointed by the Parliament for a three-year term under the terms of the Constitution of 2013. [1] The current president is Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu.
This Compact enunciates a compromise that is repeated throughout the Constitution: although laced with references to Christianity, the constitution carefully protects the rights of all Fiji citizens to profess, practice both privately and publicly, and propagate all religions. The language provisions, too, benefit both major population groups.
Fiji's location in Oceania A map of Fiji Topography of Fiji. Fiji lies approximately 5,100 km (3,200 mi) southwest of Hawaii and roughly 3,150 km (1,960 mi) from Sydney, Australia. [96] [97] Fiji is the hub of the Southwest Pacific, midway between Vanuatu and Tonga. The archipelago is located between 176° 53′ east and 178° 12′ west.