Fiji military seizes power in bloodless coup | World news | The Guardian World news Fiji military seizes power in bloodless coup Fiji's military commander Frank Bainimarama announces he has taken control of the country from the elected government. Photograph: Rick Rycroft/AP Roger Maynard Close This article is 10 years old Fiji was plunged into its fourth coup in 20 years today, after the military ousted the prime minister, Laisenia Qarese, and took control of the government. The head of the army, Frank Bainimarama, appointed himself temporary president, throwing the South Pacific island state into economic and political disarray and risking international isolation from Australia, the UN and the Commonwealth. "The military has taken over the government, has executive authority and the running of this country," Mr Bainimarama told a news conference broadcast nationally. He urged all citizens to remain calm. The long-anticipated coup reached its climax when soldiers turned up at the prime minister's residence and took away his car keys. Armed troops ringed the building, effectively placing him under house arrest. "The government they want to set up will be totally illegal," Mr Qarase said in an AP television interview.

"What the military has done is raped our constitution." He also insisted he would not step down voluntarily. The Fiji Times newspaper announced on its website that it had suspended publication after the military ordered it not to publish material that might incite trouble. The paper's editor, Samisoni Kakaivalu, said he refused to edit a newspaper in which content had been altered or censored by external forces. "This is no longer journalism, but propaganda," he said. "I think the military needs to remember an age-old truism: in a battle between guns and pens, pens always win." Soldiers erected roadblocks around the capital of Suva, and checkpoints were also set up in Nadi, the site of Fiji's international airport and the point of entry for the tens of thousands of tourists who visit every year. The coup follows tension between the two men over a bill to grant pardons to those involved in the last coup in 2000. Mr Bainimarama also wants to quash legislation he claims favours indigenous Fijians over the ethnic Indian minority. Nearly 40% of the population are descendants of Indian labourers shipped to Fiji by the British in the 19th century to work in the sugar industry.

During the 2000 coup, in which nationalists stormed parliament and held ministers and MPs hostage for 56 days, Mr Bainamarama achieved hero status for ending the standoff without bloodshed. Ironically, he was instrumental in the appointment of Mr Qarese, who led the post-coup interim government. But relations between them began to deteriorate when the prime minister released two of the coup plotters after only two months of their two-year prison sentences and subsequently gave them cabinet posts. Mr Bainamarama is deeply suspicious of Fijian nationalists. Six years ago he narrowly avoided assassination when rebel army officers attempted to kill him while he was at lunch in the officers' mess at Suva barracks. Since then he is said to have become paranoid about the nationalists, according to Fiji media owner William Parkinson. "He is really concerned that the 2000 events could happen again," he said. The latest military takeover could damage Fiji's international standing. The Commonwealth will consider suspending the island state later this week, and the UN may curtail the military's peacekeeping role abroad. The Australian prime minister, John Howard, condemned the coup but turned down a plea from Mr Qarase to send in troops.

"I do not think it is in Australia's national interest to become involved in the possibility of Australian and Fijian troops firing on each other," he said. Although Mr Bainimarama has appointed himself president, he promised to restore executive powers to the former president Ratu Josefa Iloilo by next week. An interim government would then be appointed, with elections to follow at an unspecified date. The military takeover is not expected to be welcomed by many Fijians, about 80% of whom voted for the government at the last election. Canberra has urged its citizens to leave Suva, and the Australian navy is standing by to evacuate foreign nationals if necessary. FIJI COUP - Behind Bainimarama's Bluff - YouTube FIJI COUP - Behind Bainimarama's Bluff Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jul 24, 2007 Fiji's rogue military commander seized power on 5 December 2006. What was the real reason for the coup?

Was it to stop a police investigation into the murder of five soldiers in the early hours of 3 November 2000? Category Fiji military commander seizes power - World news - Asia-Pacific | NBC News + - SUVA, Fiji — Fiji’s military commander said Tuesday that he had seized control of the country and dismissed the elected prime minister after a weeks-long standoff between the two leaders rooted in tension between the South Pacific nation’s indigenous people and its ethnic Indian minority. Commodore Frank Bainimarama told a news conference that he was using special powers under the constitution to assume the powers of the president and replace Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Bainimarama justified seizing power to prevent legislation that favored indigenous Fijians, contending the measures “would undermine the constitution and deny many citizens their rights.” He said he would soon return the powers to President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, who he expected to appoint a full interim government. Elections to restore democracy would follow, he said. Qarase said he was under effective house arrest, and that he was powerless to stop the military takeover, which came after troops surrounded his house, set up checkpoints in the capital, Suva, and seized official vehicles from government ministers.

Threat to 'clean up' the government Bainimarama and Qarase are both ethnic Fijians but Bainimarama, who considers himself as a protector of the rights of all Fijians including ethnic Indians, began threatening in recent weeks to “clean up” the government after it proposed legislation that critics said unfairly benefited the native majority. One bill would have granted amnesty to Fijian nationalists who stormed the parliament six years ago and deposed the country’s first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister, who was eventually replaced by Qarase. Qarase has since won two elections. Advertise Another bill would have transferred ownership of valuable coastal property to indigenous Fijians. Bainimarama demanded the government kill the disputed legislation or be forced out. As the standoff intensified after Bainimarama issued a deadline, Qarase offered to suspend the contentious bills but said he could not agree to demands that went outside the law. The commander’s threats to take over the government were internationally condemned.

Tuesday’s coup is the nation’s fourth in 19 years for Fiji, which, with about 900,000 people, is among the richest and most developed nations in the South Pacific, attracting up to 400,000 tourists a year to resorts built on idyllic beaches mostly in the country’s west, away from Suva. New Zealand, Australia express 'outrage' New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced in Parliament Tuesday that defense ties with Fiji were being severed and officers and their families from that country would be banned. Bainimarama is believed to have children studying in New Zealand. “This is an outrage what is happening in Fiji today,” she told reporters in Wellington, the capital. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia would impose similar conditions if it was confirmed Qarase had been removed, adding that two international groups — the Commonwealth of Britain and its former colonies and the South Pacific Forum — would consider suspending Fiji. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Qarase had asked Canberra to send troops to try to prevent the coup, but that he had rejected the request.

“The possibility of Australian and Fijian troops firing on each other in the streets of Suva was not a prospect that I for a moment thought desirable,” Howard told a news conference in Canberra. Bainimarama has warned any foreign intervention would be fiercely opposed by the Fiji military. About a half-dozen ministers were holed up with Qarase in his house. Outside, about 70 supporters gathered to sing hymns and say prayers. “Forgive these people for their deeds,” they prayed. © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Resist the coup, urges Fiji's deposed leader - World - theage.com.au Resist the coup, urges Fiji's deposed leader Malcolm Brown and Brendan Nicholson December 6, 2006 PM asks Fijians to defend democracy Deposed Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase last night called on his countrymen to stand up and fight for democracy after the Pacific nation was plunged into its fourth military coup in 20 years.

Military chief Frank Bainimarama finally declared himself head of state late yesterday after months of threats, and placed the Prime Minister and other members of the Government under house arrest. Commodore Bainimarama made his announcement at Suva's Queen Elizabeth barracks at 6pm while the Prime Minister was trapped in his home, surrounded by soldiers. Later, a defiant Mr Qarase sipped kava with supporters and declared he was still PM. "What the military has done is raped our constitution," he said. "All right-thinking people should stand up and fight for our democracy - by peaceful means of course," he told Associated Press television. It was unclear how many people heard the plea after the military sent soldiers into local newsrooms to prevent Mr Qarase's reaction to the coup being published. Earlier Mr Qarase called Australian Prime Minister John Howard requesting help. But Mr Howard rejected the idea of sending in troops, saying "the possibility of Australian and Fijian troops firing on each other in the streets of Suva is not a prospect that I for a moment thought desirable".

Fiji's Australian-born police commissioner, Andrew Hughes, told the ABC he believed an increasing number of Fijians were reaching the conclusion that Commodore Bainimarama was mentally unsound, and it was possible army support for him would collapse. Announcing the coup, the military chief said: "As of six o'clock this evening, the military has taken over the Government, has executive authority, and the running of the country." Commodore Bainimarama said he had stepped into the shoes of President Ratu Iloilo, who held the constitutional power to sack the prime minister in "exceptional circumstances". Commodore Bainimarama cited Sir John Kerr's dismissal of Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1975 as a precedent for his action. "Kerr, as you all know, sacked prime minister Whitlam," he told the nation. He appointed the military force's senior medical officer, Jona Senilagakali, as interim prime minister. Dr Senilagakali has served with peacekeeping forces in the Sinai and Lebanon but has no political experience.

Commodore Bainimarama said the Qarase Government had "undermined the constitution by engaging in bribery and corruption" and proposing bills that would seriously disadvantage Fiji and its future generations. He said the military forces had made entreaties to the Qarase Government, which had been delivered in a spirit of "fairness and sincerity", but it had responded by attacking the "republic of Fiji military force" and had tried to remove Commodore Bainimarama from his post. The proclamation ended a dramatic day in which a number of senior ministers, as well as Mr Qarase, were placed under house arrest and the military seized their government vehicles. Late last night, Mr Qarase said the military officers who had been holding him under house arrest had suddenly left the area. Asked why they had gone, he said he thought they had been "overwhelmed by the singing" - of women supporters who had gathered outside in the street. Meri Samisoni, a member of his Government, said that the vigil outside Mr Qarase's house was the beginning of a revolt by the people of Fiji in which they would "do a Gandhi and Mandela", focusing on non-violent protest.

A group of Fijian churchmen led by Tui Killakilla Qaratu, president of the Assembly of Christian Churches and the Fiji Council of Churches, sought permission to go through the military roadblock to pray with Mr Qarase. They were turned away at the checkpoint. Soldiers appeared in media outlets soon after Commodore Bainimarama announced he had taken control of the country. In protest, the country's largest newspaper, The Fiji Times, decided not to publish an edition today, and the late news bulletin on the only television channel was cancelled. With AGENCIES Fiji election: Frank Bainimarama claims victory, says he is 'deeply honoured and humbled' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Fiji election: Frank Bainimarama claims victory, says he is 'deeply honoured and humbled' Updated September 21, 2014 16:58:18 Map: Fiji Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama has claimed victory in the country's first democratic elections in eight years.

"My fellow Fijians, as you know Fiji First has won the general elections and I will lead the new government to serve the nation," he told thousands of cheering supporters gathered in a sports stadium. The 60-year-old ruler, a former naval officer who has twice seized power in Fiji via military coup, has been prime minister of Fiji since 2007. Although the final vote count has not been released, provisional results show Mr Bainimarama's Fiji First Party heading towards a clear victory. Fijian people have put their trust in me to lead them into our new and true democracy Fiji prime minister Frank Bainimarama The latest figures from the Fiji Electoral Office showed Fiji First with 59.1 per cent support after votes had been counted at 88 per cent of the polling booths. The Social Democratic Liberal Party was a distant second at 28.3 per cent. Conduct of election wins praise from observers The poll conducted on Wednesday was broadly praised by a 92-member international observer group, despite opposition accusations of fraud.

On Sunday, with 90 per cent of the vote counted, Mr Bainimarama delivered a victory speech in which he thanked the military forces for standing by him since 2000. "I am deeply honoured and humbled that the Fijian people have put their trust in me to lead them into our new and true democracy," Mr Bainimarama told the crowd in Suva. "My absolute promise [is] that we will govern for the well being of all Fijians." Mr Bainimarama seized on a long-simmering rivalry between indigenous Fijian nationalists and minority ethnic Indians, the economically powerful descendants of labourers brought by the British to work sugarcane fields, to justify his coup in 2006. In 2000, ethnic Fijians held the first Indo-Fijian prime minister hostage in parliament for 56 days, in a coup that began with deadly riots in the streets of the capital Suva. Mr Bainimarama was brought in to head the interim military government installed after a counter-coup. Australia said on Friday that it looked forward to working with the new government after provisional results put Mr Bainimarama's party in the lead.

AFP / Reuters Fiji's history of coups | World news | The Guardian World news Fiji's history of coups Mark Tran explains where the latest coup fits in the context of Fiji's historic volatile relations between the military and government This article is 10 years old What has happened in Fiji? The military commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, has seized power. Mr Bainimarama said he had invoked special powers under the constitution to assume some powers of the president, and was using them to dismiss the prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, and appoint an interim replacement. Does Mr Bainimarama intend to stay in power? He said he would surrender presidential powers next week, and would ask the country's great council of chiefs to restore them to the former president, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, who he expects to then appoint a full interim government. What lies behind the coup? The latest military uprising - the fourth coup in less than 20 years - is the culmination of a long standoff between Fiji's civilian and military leaders. The coup has been brewing for weeks if not months.

The feud between the two men has its origins in Mr Qarase's attempt to introduce legislation that would have offered a pardon to people involved in the 2000 coup and allocate the ownership of coastal land to ethnic Fijians. Mr Bainimarama helped end the 2000 uprising and came close to getting killed himself. What has been the leadup to the coup? As far back as July last year, Mr Bainimarama warned that he would topple the government if the legislation was passed. Mr Qarase won re-election in May. Perhaps emboldened by his victory, the prime minister decided to exert civilian authority once and for all. Last month, while Mr Banimarama was visiting Fijian peacekeepers in the Middle East, Mr Qarase ordered the dismissal of the military chief. Did Mr Bainimarama step down? Absolutely not. Mr Bainimarama, with the backing of the military, refused point blank, and threatened, yet again, to oust the prime minister once he returned to Fiji . Mr Qarase's failed attempt to sack his military commander was a pivotal moment in a slow-burning crisis.

Civilian authority was fatally undermined while Mr Bainimarama now had the upper hand. Were there attempts to solve the crisis? There were talks between the two camps following Mr Bainimarama's return to try to find a way out of the impasse. A coup seemed only a matter of time and so it proved with today's events. In a televised speech, Mr Bainimarama accused Mr Qarase of failing to address the military's concerns in "true spirit" and said the prime minister had created tension in the army by trying to have him removed. What is the past history between the two men? Ironically, it was Mr Bainimarama who helped to bring Mr Qarase to power after the 2000 coup. In that uprising, the country's first ethnic Indian prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, and other colleagues were taken hostage for two months by a group led by the indigenous Fijian nationalist and failed businessman, George Speight. How did that crisis end? Mr Bainimarama and his fellow soldiers took power and brokered a settlement that saw the resignation of Mr Chaudhry. They eventually arrested Mr Speight when he violated the terms of the settlement.

Mr Qarase, with Mr Bainimarama's backing, subsequently was named head of the interim civilian government and confirmed as prime minister in a later election. Mr Bainimarama says he now regrets "appointing" Mr Qarase as interim prime minister. In recent months, the commander has accused the government of continuing to adopt racist policies and programmes to appeal to indigenous Fijians, even though Mr Bainimarama is one himself. Why so many coups? Fiji has been plagued by coups since 1987, when the military first intervened in the island's political life. Past coups had much to do with the fear among indigenous Fijians of losing political control to Indo-Fijians, who dominate the economy. What is unusual about this current crisis is that the two protagonists are both high-profile indigenous Fijians. How divided is the country? There is a faultline between the country's two main communities - indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. This legacy of Fiji's colonial past has dogged the country since independence in 1970.

The Indo-Fijians are descendants of Indians brought to the island as indentured labour by Britain, the former colonial power, to develop a plantation economy. Indo-Fijians came to dominate the economy, arousing resentment from indigenous Fijians. What lies in store for Fiji? Another bout of instability would be ominous for Fiji, which is made up of 800 volcanic and coral islands. The country, with a current population of 900,000, depends heavily on tourism, but tourists will hardly want to visit a country in crisis. The US has threatened to suspend aid - Fiji is one of the world's largest per capita recipients of aid - and its neighbours, Australia and New Zealand, are likely to impose sanctions, including a travel ban. BBC News - Fiji suspended from Commonwealth Fiji suspended from Commonwealth Advertisement Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma cited Fiji's lack of progress towards democracy as the reason behind the suspension The Commonwealth has fully suspended Fiji after it refused to bow to demands to call elections by next year. Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma cited the Pacific island country's lack of progress towards democracy. Mr Sharma said he was taking the step - only the second full suspension in the organisation's history - "in sorrow".

Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power in Fiji in a 2006 coup and has said elections can only be reinstated in 2014, as part of his "roadmap". He says he needs time to institute reforms that will end the ethnic-based voting system tipped in favour of ethnic Fijians. But his critics charge that under his rule, Fiji has suspended the constitution, detained opponents and suppressed freedom of speech. 'True democracy' In a statement, the Commonwealth said it had demanded that Fiji commit, by 1 September, to rejoining negotiations with the opposition and to holding credible elections by October 2010. ANALYSIS Bridget Kendall, BBC News diplomatic correspondent This is not the first time Fiji has been in trouble with the Commonwealth. It has twice faced the lesser sanction of being suspended from its meetings - after earlier uprisings in Fiji that also led to the suspension of democracy. But this sanction goes a step further. In practical terms it means Fiji cannot attend any Commonwealth meetings, including taking part in the Commonwealth Games in 2010, or participate in training schemes and other technical aid.

A spokesman admitted that the Commonwealth was not a large donor to Fiji and the sanction is largely symbolic, and the Commonwealth was still prepared to remain engaged in any talks that might lead to a return to democracy. Mr Sharma said that although Cmdr Bainimarama had reaffirmed "his commitment to the principles of the Commonwealth", he had not met the terms of the 1 September deadline. He said Fiji's suspension was therefore "a step the Commonwealth is now obliged to take, and one that it takes in sorrow". Cmdr Bainimarama repeated his opposition to the 2010 election timetable when he spoke to commercial radio earlier on Tuesday, reported AFP news agency. "The Fiji government believes the roadmap is the only path to ensuring sustainable and true democracy, which includes... to have elections in 2014," he said. "We will remain with that." Contact continues Fiji has already been banned from Commonwealth ministerial meetings. With its full suspension, all Commonwealth aid will be cut off and Fiji will not be allowed to participate in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. FIJI'S COMMONWEALTH HISTORY Timeline: Fiji However, not all Commonwealth contact with Fiji will cease.

Its special representative to the country, Sir Paul Reeves, is set to visit Fiji from 9-11 September - a fact welcomed by Mr Sharma in his statement. Fiji has already been suspended from the regional Pacific Islands Forum, and some European Union aid to the country has been put on hold. Fiji has had a chequered relationship with the Commonwealth. It was expelled in 1987 after two military coups, but was readmitted 10 years later when democracy was restored. It was also suspended in 2000 for 18 months. The only other country to be fully suspended in the Commonwealth's history is Nigeria, during the rule of Gen Sani Abacha in 1995. Nigeria returned to the Commonwealth after democratic rule was restored. Pakistan was twice suspended from council meetings, and Zimbabwe was on course to be suspended when President Robert Mugabe pre-empted the move by walking out himself. The Commonwealth is a grouping of 53 former British colonies, dependencies and other territories.

Bookmark with: Fiji election: From 2006 coup to 2014 poll, eight years under interim PM Frank Bainimarama - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Fiji election: From 2006 coup to 2014 poll, eight years under interim PM Frank Bainimarama Updated September 12, 2014 16:13:54 Map: Fiji After staging a military coup and taking power in 2006, Frank Bainimarama now appears on track to be Fiji's next democratically elected prime minister when the country votes on September 17. Take a look back at the eight years since the last time Fiji went to the polls. The 2006 Fiji coup traced its history to the coup in 2000, the third in the country's history, and the first time Frank Bainimarama took power. He relinquished control to a civilian government led by Laesenia Qarase, who went on to win elections in 2001 and 2006. The six years between the two coups saw a high level of tensions between the military and the civilian government.

The Qarase government faced repeated calls to resign. By the end of 2006 he was forced from power, Fiji had its fourth coup, and Frank Bainimarama was once again in charge. May 2006 Photo: Fijian prime minister Laisenia Qarase won elections in 2001 and 2006 (Torsten Blackwood: AFP, file photo) Fiji's last election ran from May 6 to 13, 2006. Ahead of the poll, military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama criticised the timing of the election, and urged Fijians to vote for candidates based on policies, rather than ethnicities, which have traditionally defined election results. Laisenia Qarase's SDL party retained a slim majority, winning 36 of the 71 seats. Relations between the military and the SDL party devolved over the controversial Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which would have offered pardons to some involved in the 2000 coup.

September 2006 Relations between Mr Qarase and Commodore Bainimarama continued to decline, as the military commander criticised the government's leniency towards coup supporters. In October, Commodore Bainimarama gave Mr Qarase a three-week ultimatum to take steps, including dropping two controversial bills - one relating to the 2000 coup and another covering indigenous coastal rights. Mr Qarase and president Ratu Josefa Iloilo attempted to remove Commodore Bainimarama, who was inspecting Fijian troops in Iraq, from office, but their nominated candidate declined. In November, Mr Qarase held talks with Commodore Bainimarama in New Zealand, but no resolution was reached. On returning to Fiji, Mr Qarase conceded to some of the ultimatum's demands, but Commodore Bainimarama stood firm and several government officials, including Mr Qarase, went into hiding.

December 2006 Photo: Fijian soldiers take up positions outside Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's residence during the 2006 military coup (Tim Wimborne: Reuters) Commodore Bainimarama said he had taken control of Fiji, and the president dissolved the parliament. We consider that Fiji has reached a crossroads and that the government and all those in power to make decisions in our constitutional democracy aren't able to make decisions to save our people from destruction. As of 6 o'clock this evening, the military has taken over the government, has executive authority and are running this country. Frank Bainimarama - December 5, 2006 Australia and New Zealand declined appeals for assistance from Mr Qarase. Fiji's membership of the Commonwealth was temporarily suspended, and local media faced censorship. January 2007 Commodore Bainimarama took on the role of interim Prime Minister, and announced plans for elections to be held by 2010. April 2007 After Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs refused to endorse his government, Commodore Bainimarama sacked the body. Ten months later, he reconvened the body and appointed himself as chairman.

2008 Commodore Bainimarama announced elections promised for 2009 were being postponed, saying electoral reforms he wanted to put in place were not ready. It is necessary to change our current electoral system because it is undemocratic and it does not provide for a free and fair election. Frank Bainimarama speaking before UN General Assembly on September 26, 2008 Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum warned Fiji it would be suspended if it did not show progress towards elections. April 2009 Fiji's Appeals Court ruled the 2006 coup was illegal and the military regime appointed afterwards was invalid. It ordered President Ratu Josefa Iloilo to appoint a new prime minister. President Iloilo repealed the Constitution, sacked the judges and reappointed Commodore Bainimarama as interim prime minister. The president promised elections would be held by September 2014. I hereby confirm I have abrogated the 1997 constitution and appointed myself as head of state in the new order. You will agree that this is the best way forward for our beloved Fiji.

President Ratu Josefa IloIlo scraps the Fiji Constitution, and orders new elections on April 10, 2009 May 2009 Fiji was suspended from the Pacific Islands Forum. Commodore Bainimarama outlined plans for elections in 2014, after a new constitution to be completed in 2013. September 2009 Fiji was fully suspended from the Commonwealth over delays to the election timeline. August 2011 The annual conference of Fiji's Methodist Church was cancelled after the interim government said it went against public emergency regulations. They have used the Methodist Church as a tool in rallying and getting people to do political things, rather than doing things for the church itself. Fiji military spokesman, August 23, 2011 2012 Emergency laws that had been in place in Fiji since 2009 came to an end ahead of preparations for drafting a new constitution. Fiji's interim government was accused of interfering in the drafting of the constitution by the Constitution Commission. January 2013 Amid delays in release of the draft constitution, Commodore Bainimarama said Fiji would get a new flag to reinforce a new identity.

March 2013 Frank Bainimarama confirmed he would stand for election in Fiji's next polls. I am confident that I will win, if not I won't be standing. Frank Bainimarama launches election bid, March 23, 2013 August - September 2013 The Fijian government released and signed into law the final version of the country's new constitution, which paved the way for elections in September 2014. The new Constitution called for a single-chamber 50-member Parliament, with elections to be held every four years. It also included stronger protections for communally-owned i'Taukei, Rotuman and Banaban lands, and called for the compulsory teaching of the i’Taukei and Fiji Hindi languages at primary school level. It is the constitution we had to have for us to join the ranks of the world's great democracies.

Ratu Epeli Nailatikau signs Fiji's new Constitution into law on September 6, 2013 February-March 2014 Photo: Frank Bainimarama (R) attends a ceremony as he resigns as military chief (AFP: Joshua Kuku, file photo) Frank Bainimarama handed over control of the country's military to his second-in-charge, Land Force Commander Brigadier Mosese Tikoitoga. The now Rear-Admiral Bainimarama stepped down to focus on his campaign for his newly-formed Fiji First Party, with elections announced for September 17. Australia moved to 'normalise' relations with Fiji, joining New Zealand in easing travel sanctions against senior members of the interim government. I want us to normalise relations ahead of an election. I want Australia to be the partner of choice in the Pacific. And there is an opportunity with our new government to start afresh.

Julie Bishop, Australian Foreign Minister ahead of visit to Fiji in February, 2014 August - September 2014 Photo: An advertisement showing the candidates for Fiji's elections posted in Suva (Supplied: Fiji Elections Office) Writs were issued for Fiji elections, and the elections office unveiled the list of official candidates for the election. An international team led by Australia, Indonesia, India and Papua New Guinea was invited to observe Fiji's elections. Pre-polling began ahead of the September 17 election. Final opinion polls a week out showed Frank Bainimarama's party with a strong lead. The revelation is likely to anger Fiji prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in a December 2006 coup. | Fiji Today FijiTodays Open Forum Blog Fiji Today FijiTodays Open Forum Blog AN OPEN FORUM ON FIJI Post navigation Fiji will face a big external financial gap next year. Weak revenue from export, tourism and workers remittances. → Home » Uncategorized » The revelation is likely to anger Fiji prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in a December 2006 coup.

The revelation is likely to anger Fiji prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in a December 2006 coup. Posted on NZ spied on Fiji military, WikiLeaks cables show MICHAEL FIELD – Stuff New Zealand has been using the Waihopai communications base to spy on Fiji’s military, passing the intelligence to the United States Government, WikiLeaks cables reveal. The base was used in the 2006 coup and probably the 2000 coup, although New Zealand officials have always denied that they were spying. The WikiLeak cables, taken with other information made public on Fiji, point to the Government Communications Security Bureau being capable of listening in to Fijian mobile phones. The revelation is likely to anger Fiji prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in a December 2006 coup. At the time Commodore Bainimarama and his colonels publicly expressed fears that Australia and New Zealand were engaging in covert activity.

A leaked cable reports on meetings that then United States assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, Randall Fort, had in October 2008 with the then External Assessments Bureau, the GCSB, the Prime Minister’s Department and the Foreign Affairs Ministry. US deputy secretary Margaret McKean wrote a cable summing up the meeting. “New Zealand views the situation in Fiji as `acute’, and appreciates USG [US Government] support for the Pacific Island Forum position on Fiji. Fort commented that GNZ sigint [ New Zealand government signals intelligence] had been critical to USG understanding of the 2006 coup.” The cable does not disclose what New Zealand intercepted from the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, which was founded by New Zealand in World War II. An earlier cable, on March 2, 2007, from the US embassy in Wellington and written by deputy chief of mission David Keegan, reported that then prime minister Helen Clark understood the implications of a post-September 11 world for New Zealand security. “She also realised after the Fiji coup that New Zealand had become too reliant on Australian intelligence,” the cable says.

“Clark grasps that NZ must `give to get’ and that some of our co-operative operations strengthen her country’s security. “But she also has been willing to address targets of marginal benefit to New Zealand that could do her political harm if made public. Over the past year, she has supported increased counterterrorism co-operation with us.” Mr Fort was briefed on Chinese activities in the Pacific by Maarten Wevers, chief executive of the Prime Minister’s Department, and on Venezuela and Cuba, whose interest in the Pacific he likened to “that of the Russians in the past”. Mr Fort replied that “the backtracking of democracy” in the broader Pacific region was a concern to the United States. Rate this: New Zealand Prime Minister to Make Milestone Trip to Fiji New Zealand Prime Minister to Make Milestone Trip to Fiji June 09, 2016 4:50 AM Phil Mercer FILE - Fiji's leader Frank Bainimarama comments on how the country's constitution enshrines principles including an independent judiciary, a secular state, and a range of civil, political, and socio-economic rights, during a speech in Suva, Sept. 6, 2013.

Share Print SYDNEY — John Key on Thursday becomes the first New Zealand Prime Minister to visit Fiji since a military coup there in 2006. Key says his two-day trip is in recognition of the South Pacific nation's return to elected government, although Key has said there are still shortcomings in the democratic process. Fiji was part of an arc of instability that included East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Coups and social unrest made two regional heavyweights, New Zealand and Australia, increasingly nervous about security. Those fears worsened in 2006 when the military seized power in Fiji. But much has changed. Elections were held two years ago and the military commander, Frank Bainimarama, who overthrew an elected government ten years ago, is now Fiji's Prime Minister. Sanctions imposed on Fiji by the international community, including the United States and Australia, have been lifted, and the country has been re-admitted to the Commonwealth grouping of former British colonies. On Thursday, Bainimarama's New Zealand counterpart John Key arrived in the South Pacific archipelago to show support for democracy, although he has stressed that more work needs to be done. FILE - Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key.

He will hold talks with senior Fijian officials and assess progress since the South Pacific nation was struck earlier this year by Cyclone Winston, the most powerful storm ever to make landfall in the southern hemisphere. “Bula vinaka (traditional Fijian greeting). Well, later on this afternoon I am off to Suva in Fiji, the first New Zealand Prime Minister to go to Fiji for nearly a decade now, so looking forward to going back and talking to Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. There are a lot of things for us to discuss. Fiji is obviously a strong Pacific nation and one that we have a lot of engagement with. New Zealanders will remember the devastation that took place as a result of Cyclone Winston and, of course, the big role that New Zealand is playing in terms of giving support to the people of Fiji, so first hand looking forward to seeing that rescue and that recovery work being undertaken now, and obviously to get a bit of a sense of how the people of Fiji are recovering after such a devastating cyclone,” said Key. More than 40 people died when Cyclone Winston struck.

Some critics insist that Fijian democracy is still suffering under the current government and have said Prime Minister Bainimarama has muzzled the press and stifled dissent. Elections held in September 2014 were considered to be “credible” by international observers. The next election is due in two years’ time. Fiji is home to about 900,000 people, and lies about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean.

Question: In a coup in 2006, who seized power in Fiji?
Answer: Frank Bainimarama