"Fiji. A republic was declared in 1987, following a series of coups d'état. In a coup in 2006, Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power. When the High Court ruled in 2009 that the military leadership was unlawful, President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, whom the military had retained as the nominal Head of State, formally abrogated the Constitution and reappointed Bainimarama. Later in 2009, Iloilo was replaced as President by Ratu Epeli Nailatikau. After years of delays, a democratic election was held on 17 September 2014. Bainimarama's FijiFirst party won with 59.2% of the vote, and the election was deemed credible by international"
"The Great Council of Chiefs met at the Tradewinds Convention Centre in Lami on 8 March and re-elected Iloilo to another five-year term. On 5 December 2006 Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, seized power in a coup d'état and assumed presidential powers. This followed failed attempts on Iloilo's part to mediate a solution to the long-running impasse between the military and the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. However, his powers were restored by Bainimarama on 4 January 2007. Iloilo also endorsed Bainimarama's coup on the same day, in his first public address since"
"was denounced by the United Nations and Fiji was expelled from the Commonwealth of Nations. The 2000 coup was essentially a repeat of the 1987 affair, although it was led by civilian George Speight, apparently with military support. Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who was opposed to Speight, then took over and appointed a new Prime Minister. Speight was later tried and convicted for treason. Many indigenous Fijians were unhappy at the treatment of Speight and his supporters, feeling that the coup had been legitimate. In 2006 the Fijian parliament attempted to introduce a series of bills which would have, amongst other"
"taken control of Fiji. Bainimarama restored the presidency to Ratu Josefa Iloilo on 4 January 2007, and in turn was formally appointed interim Prime Minister by Iloilo the next day. In April 2009, the Fiji Court of Appeal ruled that the 2006 coup had been illegal. This began the 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis. President Iloilo abrogated the constitution, removed all office holders under the constitution including all judges and the governor of the Central Bank. He then reappointed Bainimarama under his ""New Order"" as interim Prime Minister and imposed a ""Public Emergency Regulation"" limiting internal travel and allowing press censorship."
"was the world's oldest head of state. On 5 December 2006, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, seized power in a coup d'état and assumed presidential powers. This followed failed attempts on Iloilo's part to mediate a solution to the long-running impasse between the military and the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. However, his powers were restored by Bainimarama on 4 January 2007. Iloilo also endorsed Bainimarama's coup on the same day, in his first public address since the coup. He appointed Bainimarama as Prime Minister the following day. After Fiji's Court of Appeal"
"with the regime, and on 5 December 2006, he overthrew the Qarase government and announced that he had ""reluctantly"" assumed the powers of the presidency. He restored Ratu Josefa Iloilo to the Presidency on 4 January 2007, and was formally appointed Interim Prime Minister by Iloilo the next day. The appointment was declared lawful by the Supreme Court of Fiji in October 2008. Bainimarama stepped down on 10 April 2009 as interim prime minister, after the country's court of appeal ruled the removal of the democratic government during his 2006 military coup was unlawful. President Ratu Josefa Iloilo then announced"
"declared in 1987, following a series of coups d'état. In a coup in 2006, Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power. When the High Court ruled in 2009 that the military leadership was unlawful, President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, whom the military had retained as the nominal Head of State, formally abrogated the Constitution and reappointed Bainimarama. Later in 2009, Iloilo was replaced as President by Ratu Epeli Nailatikau. After years of delays, a democratic election was held on 17 September 2014. Bainimarama's FijiFirst party won with 59.2% of the vote, and the election was deemed credible by international observers. Located in the"
"Forces culminated in a military coup on 5 December 2006. Citing alleged governmental corruption, Ganilau told Fiji Television that he supported the ""cause"" of the military, but not its method, and denied public rumours that he had been a party to the planning of the coup. He called on his fellow-chiefs, however, to accept the ""reality"" of the Military takeover and work to move the country forward. He also claimed that he had been asked to mediate between the Great Council of Chiefs and the Military, as a former head of both bodies, but the council chairman, Ratu Ovini Bokini,"
"2006 Fijian coup d'état The Fijian ""coup d'état"" of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005–06 Fijian political crisis. Fiji had seen four definitive coups in the past two decades. At the heart of the previous three of these lay the tensions between the ethnic Fijians and Indian Fijians. Religion played a significant role; the majority of ethnic Fijians belong to the Methodist church whereas the majority of the Indians are Hindu. In each coup, one of the sides sought to establish"
"date of 4 December to accede to these demands or to resign from his post. Qarase adamantly refused either to concede or resign, and on 5 December the president, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, was said to have signed a legal order dissolving the parliament after meeting with Bainimarama. In April 2009, the Fiji Court of Appeal ruled that the 2006 coup had been illegal. This began the 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis. President Iloilo abrogated the constitution, removed all office holders under the constitution including all judges and the governor of the Central Bank. He then reappointed Bainimarama under his ""New Order"""
"must never challenge the rule of a constitutional government, Dinger insisted. Brown feels that his words of encouragement were misconstrued and may have led to the coup. Leweni subsequently denied that the Fijian military stance on the Qoliqoli Bill had been influenced by Brown. Neumi Leweni called on the Qarase government to resign on 6 October 2006, saying that the government had lost all semblance of credibility, integrity and honesty and that the country was sinking into an economic and financial abyss. On 16 October 2006, Bainimarama issued a three-week ultimatum for the government to meet nine demands, or resign."
"appointed a new Prime Minister. Speight was later tried and convicted for treason. Many indigenous Fijians were unhappy at the treatment of Speight and his supporters, feeling that the coup had been legitimate. In 2006 the Fijian parliament attempted to introduce a series of bills which would have, amongst other things, pardoned those involved in the 2000 coup. Bainimarama, concerned that the legal and racial injustices of the previous coups would be perpetuated, staged his own coup. It was internationally condemned, and Fiji again suspended from the Commonwealth. In 2006 the then Australia Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson, warned Fijian officials"
"coups, but has opposed the 2006 coup. The Methodist Church strongly condemned the coup d'état carried out by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces on 5 December 2006. The church issued a 20-point statement on 2 February 2007 analyzing the various factors in the coup, including the actions of the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, to depose and reinstate President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, dismiss the Cabinet, and dissolve the Parliament, all of which it said were legally actionable. The statement called on Bainimarama to resign as interim Prime Minister to allow a ""politically neutral"" interim cabinet to be formed, comprising"
"due to ethnic tension between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, who originally came to the islands as indentured labour in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The 1987 coup followed the election of a multi-ethnic coalition, which Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka overthrew, claiming racial discrimination against ethnic Fijians. The coup was denounced by the United Nations and Fiji was expelled from the Commonwealth of Nations. The 2000 coup was essentially a repeat of the 1987 affair, although it was led by civilian George Speight, apparently with military support. Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who was opposed to Speight, then took over and"
"1992 the first general election was held under the auspices of the new constitution. The constitution was revised again in 1997 and was deemed to be more equitable by the many racial groups in Fiji. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a violent coup in May 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political and racial turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Re-elected in May 2006, Qarase was ousted in a military coup on 5 December that"
"appointment, saying it was a tacit acceptance of the Military takeover. Angie Heffernan of the Pacific Centre for Public Integrity also attacked the appointment as having been ""done under suspicious and questionable circumstances,"" and judged it to be unconstitutional. Fiji Law Society President Devanesh Sharma voiced similar views. Rodney Acraman Rodney Acraman was Fiji's Acting Ombudsman and thus the ""ex officio"" Chairperson of the Fiji Human Rights Commission from 2006 to 2007, when he was replaced by Shaista Shameem. The Military administration, which took power in a coup d'état on 5 December 2006, appointed him to the Ombudsman's position on"
"13 July 2000) appointed Fatiaki on his advice, saying he was confident that Fatiaki would maintain the same standards of integrity that Tuivaga had upheld. In the wake of the military coup that deposed the Qarase government on 5 December 2006, Commodore Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and Acting President of Fiji, sent Fatiaki on leave. He told the Fiji Times on 7 January that he had been told to go on leave or be dismissed. Earlier, Fatiaki had said just before the coup that the judiciary would uphold the Fijian constitution"
"main rival, the Fiji Labour Party, government appointees to the Council have always been rivals of the National Farmers Union. On 27 December 2006, military commander Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, who had taken power in a military coup on 5 December, suspended Jagannath Sami, the chief executive, the council, and Chairman Vijendra Autar, citing abuse of office, misuse of funds, irregularities in the elections of the Board of Directors and $80,000 growers' funds being used without proper approval by board members who went on a recent trip to India. Commodore Bainimarama also revoked the appointment of eight council members by the"
"Laisenia Qarase Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; born 4 February 1941) is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment as Prime Minister on 4 July. He won two parliamentary elections, but a military coup removed him from power on 5 December 2006. He was later imprisoned on corruption charges brought by the Military-backed regime. A native of Vanua Balavu Island"
"2000 Fijian coup d'état The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian coup d'état by hardline i-Taukei nationalists against the elected government of a Fijian of Indian Descent Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, on 19 May 2000, the attempt by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority on 27 May, and his own resignation, possibly forced, on 29 May. An interim government headed by Commodore Frank Bainimarama was set up, and handed power over to an interim administration headed by Ratu Josefa Iloilo, as President, on 13 July. Parliamentary elections in May 1999, had resulted"
"was removed from power in a military coup on 4 December 2006, after many months of tensions between his government and the Military came to a head in late November. He had been Prime Minister since 2001, except for a period of two days (14–16 March 2001), when he temporarily vacated the office to meet a constitutional technicality; the Supreme Court of Fiji had ruled that his government was unconstitutional and that Mahendra Chaudhry remained the rightful Prime Minister. In a series of moves that legal experts have considered to be of doubtful constitutionality, Qarase resigned on 14 March, in"
"three-year moratorium. The last test was on 27 January 1996. On 29 January 1996, France announced that it would accede to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and no longer test nuclear weapons. Fiji has suffered several coups d'état: military in 1987 and 2006 and civilian in 2000. All were ultimately due to ethnic tension between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, who originally came to the islands as indentured labour in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The 1987 coup followed the election of a multi-ethnic coalition, which Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka overthrew, claiming racial discrimination against ethnic Fijians. The coup"
"on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu. On December 5, 2006 (two days before the Final Tribal Council), a coup d'état was initiated by Fiji's military leader, Frank Bainimarama. While there was some speculation that a full evacuation of the ""Survivor"" crew members from Fiji would take place, only a few crew members on the mainland were relocated to the second-smallest island. However, the political turmoil prior to the coup did prevent the families of the cast members from coming to Fiji to participate in a reward challenge (as usually occurs on ""Survivor"") that occurred towards the end of filming."
"emerged as one of Oceania's most vocal critics of Fijian interim leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who came to power in the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. Tuilaepa has stated that Bainimarama has shown little respect for the opinions of regional Pacific leaders. Tuilaepa has said that Bainimarama's actions since the 2006 coup have shown that Bainimarama has no intentions of returning Fiji to democratic rule or holding transparent, free elections. Tuilaepa cites numerous actions by Bainimarama to back up his criticisms, including rescinding assurances to leaders at a regional meeting in Tonga that elections would be held in May 2008. He"
"indigenous landowners. He also condemned the present Constitution, which he called a betrayal of the Fijian people. In a separate report, the Daily Post newspaper quoted him as saying that former Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli should be appointed President, at the Great Council of Chiefs meeting on 8 March. He saw Seniloli, who resigned the Vice-Presidency in November 2004 in disgrace following his conviction on coup-related offences, as providing the ""good strong leadership"" which Fiji needed. The party did not win any seats in the 2006 election. In 2009 party leader Iliesa Duvuloco was arrested for breaching the military regime's"
"from a commensurate influx of sports tourists. In December 2006, following months of tension, Commander Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama staged a military coup to unseat the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. As a direct result of the coup and the political and economic uncertainty it created, on December 8, 2006 the IFNA withdrew Fiji's hosting rights for the 2007 tournament. The withdrawal was expected to have a significant impact in Fiji due to the popularity of netball. IFNA began an immediate process to identify a new host and, on December 23, 2006, announced that New Zealand, who last hosted the"
"next Vunivalu of Bau (generally recognized as Fiji's highest chiefly title) to be elected by the whole of the Tui Kaba clan, rather than appointed by a few elders. As the tension between the Fijian government and the Military escalated towards the end of 2006, Tabakaucoro called on the embattled government of Laisenia Qarase to resign. Fiji Live quoted her on 3 December as calling for the appointment of an interim government that would implement the demands of the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama. The government refused to resign, and after the Military seized power on 5 December, she blamed"
"Fijian military unrest in 2006 A series of events took place in the Pacific republic of Fiji in 2006, involving an ongoing public feud between the government and military. Tensions took a dramatic turn for the worse on 11–13 January, with reports of unusual troop and naval deployments, crisis meetings of the National Security Council, and the erection of police roadblocks. Rumours also swept the capital that the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, had been arrested by the police on government orders, but the Military denied this. The crisis came to a head on the 13th, with Bainimarama announcing that"
"his inability to govern – before the Fijian military seized power and brokered a negotiated end to the situation, then arrested Speight when he violated its terms. Former banker Laisenia Qarase was named interim Prime Minister and head of the interim civilian government by the military and the Great Council of Chiefs in July. A court order restored the constitution early in 2001, and a subsequent election confirmed Qarase as Prime Minister. In 2005, the Qarase government amid much controversy proposed a Reconciliation and Unity Commission with power to recommend compensation for victims of the 2000 coup and amnesty for"
"indigenous Fijians were won by the SDL, most of them overwhelmingly; the party also won 13 of the 25 Open Constituencies elected by universal suffrage. The SDL failed to make any significant inroads into the Indo-Fijian community, polling barely 2 percent of the Indo-Fijian vote, and also lost the one minority voters' constituency it had held. The SDL-led government was ousted in the military coup of December 2006 - the first coup in Fiji to overthrow an SDL government rather than an FLP one. In January 2013 the Fijian regime announced new political party registration rules which would require all"
"George Speight George Speight (['speːt]; born 1957), occasionally known as Ilikini Naitini, is a Fijian businessman. He was the leader of the Fiji coup of 2000, in which he and an elite unit of Fiji's military detained thirty-six members of parliament and held them hostage from May 19, 2000 to July 13, 2000. He is serving life imprisonment for his role in the coup. On May 19, 2000, a disparate gang led by Speight stormed the parliamentary complex and kidnapped Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and 35 other parliamentarians for the i Taukei (indigenous) rights, including several cabinet ministers. Announcing that"
"December 2006, Nagagavoka called on the people to accept the reality that the Republic of Fiji Military Forces now effectively controlled the country. He boycotted a Great Council of Chiefs meeting in the third week of December, and was quoted in the Fiji Sun (20 and 24 December) as saying that political arguments were a waste of time and would only lead to more divisions. Prior to the coup, the Fiji Sun had quoted him (1 December) as saying that before the 1987 coups and 2000 coup, Fiji had been on the way to becoming an advanced and prosperous nation,"
"the right to take part in self-government through free and fair elections, as well as the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and religion. Since the December 5, 2006 coup d'état, the military and police have arbitrarily arrested and detained human rights defenders, journalists and others perceived as critical of the administration. Four people have died in military or police custody and dozens of people have been intimidated, beaten, sexually assaulted, or subjected to degrading treatment. Fiji's interim administration continues to fail to uphold the rule of law and has seriously compromised the independence of the judiciary. No UN special procedures"