Legislative Council (Fiji)
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The Fijian Legislative Council was the colonial precursor to the present-day Parliament, which came into existence when Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970.
From 1874, when the United Kingdom annexed Fiji, there was a Legislative Council with advisory powers; all members were appointed by the colonial Governor. The first step towards making the Council a popularly elected legislature was taken in 1904, when the council was reconstituted as a 19-member body consisting of the Governor, 10 "Official" members appointed by the governor, 6 elected members chosen by European males, and 2 Fijian members appointed by the governor from a list of 6 nominees submitted by the Great Council of Chiefs. Indians were not represented at this point, but in 1916, provision was made for one Indian to be appointed by the Governor. The first Indian to hold legislative office was Badri Maharaj, who took his seat on 29 January 1917. He served until 1929, when Indian representation was made elective, with wealthy Indian men enfranchised.
The next major development took place in 1953, when the Legislative Council was enlarged to 32 members. Of these, 17 were "Official" members appointed by the Governor. In addition, there were five "non-official" members from each of the three major ethnic groups (Fijians, Indo-Fijians, and Europeans); Indo-Fijians and Europeans directly elected 3 members each, with a further 2 being appointed by the Governor; all 5 Fijian representatives were appointed by the Governor from a list submitted by the Great Council of Chiefs. The following year, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna was appointed as the first Speaker of the Legislative Council.
In 1963, women were enfranchised and indigenous Fijians were empowered for the first time to vote directly for their representatives on the Legislative Council. By now, it had become a mostly elective body with 36 members. 27 of these represented ethnic constituencies - 11 Fijians (9 directly elected, 2 nominated by the Great Council of Chiefs), 9 Indo-Fijians, and 7 "General Electors" representing an electorate comprising Europeans, Chinese, and other minorities. In addition, there were 9 members, 3 from each of ethnic constituency, elected by universal suffrage.
Responsible government was not introduced until 1967. A four-member Executive Council had existed from 1904, but it was not a Cabinet in the modern sense: it was appointed by the colonial Governor and responsible to him alone. The first step towards adoption of the Westminster System of responsible government was taken in 1964 with the adoption of the Member system, whereby 3 members of the Legislative Council (one from each ethnic constituency) were appointed to the Executive Council and given portfolio responsibilities supervising government departments. They were not "Ministers" in the modern sense, however, as they were still responsible only to the Governor and could not be dismissed by the Legislative Council. In 1967, however, a full ministerial system was adopted, with a Cabinet responsible to the Legislature. Ratu Kamisese Mara (who was subsequently knighted in 1969) was appointed as the first Chief Minister.
When Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970, the Legislative Council was replaced by the Fijian Parliament. A grandfather clause in the Constitution provided for the old Legislative Council to remain in office, with its name changed to the House of Representatives, pending the first post-independence elections of 1972.
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