Fiji Constitution

Fiji's first constitution , adopted in 1970 after declaring independence from the United Kingdom , contained provisions to consolidate the political superiority of Fiji's indigenous people ^[3] . However, despite this, a government consisting of a Fiji Indian minority was elected in 1987, leading to two coups d'etat . As a result, the 1990 Constitution contained even more stringent measures.

The spread of Fiji-Indian disagreement, coupled with a change in the size of the indigenous population, prompted a more comprehensive approach to the issue in the 1997 Constitution . This was followed by the election of the first Fiji Indian as Prime Minister of Fiji and the unsuccessful coup d'etat of 2000 . The 2013 Constitution provided equal status for Fijians and Fiji Indians in the country ^[4] .

The coup d'etat of 2000 was completed by military intervention. Fifteen people died ^[5] . Power was transferred to the civil administration, which subsequently won the 2001 election and granted early release to several conspirators ^[6] . This outraged the head of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Fiji , Frank Mbainimarama , who opposed the new government. He formally demanded a complete reversal of decisions, which, in the end, led to a bloodless coup in December 2006.

As the Prime Minister, Mbainimaramu stated that the race-based electoral system should be reformed before new elections are held. After several months of international pressure, he announced the elections in 2009, but then canceled them ^[7] , saying that to prevent the return of the old regime, a new system will be needed (a new census, a new voters list and a new Constitution).

In 2008, the Fiji National Improvement Council , created by the government, published the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress , which developed the basic principles for drafting a new constitution, and in 2012, public hearings began around the country to get the most out of the public. state ^[8] .

The original author of the draft Constitution, Yash Ghai, did not publicly agree with the amendments to the final document, including the removal of the regional representation, arguing that he favors larger political parties ^[9] .

According to an article published in The Economist , New Zealand, despite the election success, the FijiFirst party “despises” the native Fijians for implementing the 2013 Constitution, in which all Fiji citizens are called “Fijians,” regardless of their ethnicity. As a result, “some” Fiji Indians fear a “cultural destruction” and an “Islamic conspiracy to gain control of the country,” because Fiji’s attorney general was a Muslim ^[10] .