1966 Fijian general election
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All 36 seats in the Legislative Council 18 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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General elections were held in Fiji between 26 September and 8 October 1966,[1] the last before independence in 1970 and the first held under universal suffrage.[2] The result was a victory for the Alliance Party, which won 23 of the 34 elected seats. Its leader Kamisese Mara became the country's first Chief Minister the following year.
Background
[edit]A constitutional conference was held in London in 1965, which resulted in the Legislative Council being reorganised to consist of 36 seats; 14 for Fijians and other Pacific Islanders (two of which were nominated by the Great Council of Chiefs), 12 for Indo-Fijians and 10 for all other ethnic groups.[2] The total number of registered voters was 156,683; 75,768 Indo-Fijians, 74,575 Fijians and 6,340 General electors.[1]
Members of the Legislative Council were elected from two types of constituencies; communal and cross-voting, with voters being able to cast four votes each. Each voter cast a single vote in one of the 25 communal constituencies, in which they could only vote for a candidate of their own ethnicity. In the three three-seat cross-voting constituencies, voters voted for a candidate from each of the three ethnic groups.[2]
Campaign
[edit]For the first time, the elections were a largely partisan event, dominated by the Fijian Alliance Party and the Indo-Fijian Federation Party.[2] A total of 79 candidates contested the elections, three of which were women.[3]
Results
[edit]| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance Party | 214,872 | 51.94 | 23 | |
| Federation Party | 113,310 | 27.39 | 9 | |
| National Democratic Party | 6,874 | 1.66 | 0 | |
| Independents | 78,644 | 19.01 | 2 | |
| Nominated members | 2 | |||
| Total | 413,700 | 100.00 | 36 | |
| Valid votes | 413,700 | 93.16 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 30,372 | 6.84 | ||
| Total votes | 444,072 | 100.00 | ||
| Source: Fiji Elections | ||||
By constituency
[edit]| Seat | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fijian seats | |||||
| Cakaudrove | Jone Naisara | Alliance Party | 4,908 | Elected | |
| Anare M. Tuidraki | Independent | 949 | |||
| Invalid votes | 314 | – | |||
| Lau–Rotuma | Jonati Mavoa | Alliance Party | Unopposed | Elected | |
| Lomaiviti/Kadavu | Solomone Momoivalu | Alliance Party | Unopposed | Elected | |
| Macuata/Bua | Emosi Vuakatagane | Alliance Party | 2,885 | Elected | |
| Militoni Vereaqali Leweniqila | Independent | 1,774 | |||
| Invalid votes | 207 | – | |||
| North West Viti Levu | Sakeasi Waqanivavalagi | Alliance Party | 6,354 | Elected | |
| Isaia Vakabua | Independent | 1,670 | |||
| Jone Ravunakana | Independent | 1,268 | |||
| Invalid votes | 191 | – | |||
| Rewa–Suva | Alipate Sikivou | Alliance Party | 4,427 | Elected | |
| Jone Cure Mataitini | Independent | 1,779 | |||
| Noa Niubalavu Nawalowalo | Independent | 1,268 | |||
| Invalid votes | 158 | – | |||
| South Central Viti Levu | David Toganivalu | Alliance Party | 4,368 | Elected | |
| Penaia Lalabalavu Latianara | Independent | 981 | |||
| Meli Radelaiburelevu Loki | Independent | 873 | |||
| Ifereimi Nakaiwalu | Independent | 205 | |||
| Invalid votes | 182 | – | |||
| South West Viti Levu | Peniame Naqasima | Alliance Party | 5,600 | Elected | |
| Apisai Tora | National Democratic Party | 2,632 | |||
| Invalid votes | 133 | – | |||
| Tailevu | William Brown Toganivalu | Alliance Party | 3,347 | Elected | |
| Livai Volavola | Independent | 1,530 | |||
| Meli Saronicava Baleilakeba | Independent | 383 | |||
| Invalid votes | 187 | – | |||
| Council of Chiefs nominees | George Cakobau | Elected | |||
| Losalini Raravuya Dovi | Elected | ||||
| General seats | |||||
| Eastern and Central | Wesley Barrett | Alliance Party | 816 | Elected | |
| Robert Spowart | Independent | 132 | |||
| Invalid votes | 11 | – | |||
| Northern | Harold Brockett Gibson | Independent | 392 | Elected | |
| Fred Archibald | Independent | 292 | Unseated | ||
| Hugh Thaggard | Independent | 151 | |||
| Lawrence Simpson | Independent | 73 | |||
| Invalid votes | 33 | – | |||
| Suva | John Falvey | Alliance Party | 1,544 | Re-elected | |
| Charles Stinson | Independent | 1,384 | Elected | ||
| William Yee | Alliance Party | 1,381 | Elected | ||
| Margaret Bain | Alliance Party | 1,288 | |||
| Invalid votes | 4 | – | |||
| West Viti Levu | Ronald Kermode | Alliance Party | Unopposed | Re-elected | |
| Robin Yarrow | Alliance Party | Unopposed | Elected | ||
| Indo-Fijian seats | |||||
| North-East Vanua Levu | James Madhavan | Federation Party | 5,049 | 66.9 | Re-elected |
| Gaya Prasad | Independent | 2,494 | 33.1 | ||
| Invalid votes | 320 | – | |||
| North-East Viti Levu | C. A. Shah | Federation Party | 3,799 | 58.2 | Re-elected |
| Vishnu Deo | Alliance Party | 1,955 | 30.0 | ||
| V. P. Bajpai | Independent | 770 | 11.8 | ||
| Invalid votes | 100 | – | |||
| North Eastern | Ram Jati Singh | Federation Party | 2,328 | 65.3 | Elected |
| Harish Chandra Kohli | Independent | 1,238 | 34.7 | ||
| Invalid votes | 206 | – | |||
| North-West Viti Levu | R. D. Patel | Federation Party | 4,704 | Elected | |
| James Shankar Singh | Alliance Party | 4,421 | |||
| Invalid votes | 104 | – | |||
| South-Central Viti Levu | M. T. Khan | Federation Party | 4,380 | Elected | |
| Ramanlal I. Kapadia | Independent | 1,650 | |||
| B.D. Moti | Independent | 67 | |||
| B. D. Lakshman | Independent | 24 | |||
| Invalid votes | 150 | – | |||
| South-West Viti Levu | A. D. Patel | Federation Party | 7,601 | Re-elected | |
| Ayodhya Prasad | Alliance Party | 4,025 | |||
| Invalid votes | 167 | – | |||
| Suva | Irene Jai Narayan | Federation Party | 5,676 | 67.1 | Elected |
| Andrew Deoki | Independent | 2,779 | 32.9 | Unseated | |
| Invalid votes | 108 | – | |||
| Tailevu-Rewa | K. C. Ramrakha | Federation Party | 3,220 | 71.5 | Elected |
| K. B. Singh | Independent | 677 | 15.1 | ||
| Ram Lochan Regan | Independent | 604 | 13.4 | ||
| Invalid votes | 105 | – | |||
| West Viti Levu Indian | Sidiq Koya | Federation Party | 6,318 | Re-elected | |
| Jaswant Singh | Independent | 2,221 | |||
| C. A. Patel | Independent | 19 | |||
| Invalid votes | 201 | – | |||
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | |||||
| Cross-voting seats | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constituency | Ethnic group | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Notes |
| Central | Fijian | Edward Cakobau | Alliance Party | Unopposed | Re-elected | |
| General | Douglas Walkden-Brown | Alliance Party | 21,208 | Elected | ||
| James Ah Koy | Independent | 5,604 | ||||
| David Whippy | Independent | 2,622 | ||||
| Trevor McNally | Independent | 976 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 11,518 | – | ||||
| Indo-Fijian | Abdul Lateef | Alliance Party | 15,498 | Elected | ||
| Madho Singh Tikaram | Federation Party | 13,487 | ||||
| C. P. Singh | Independent | 7,939 | Unseated | |||
| Shiu Narayan Kanhai | Independent | 1,505 | ||||
| M. Columbus | Independent | 1,077 | ||||
| M. Azam | Independent | 987 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 1,584 | – | ||||
| Northern and Eastern | Fijian | Kamisese Mara | Alliance Party | 26,025 | Re-elected | |
| Nemani Waka | Independent | 8,635 | ||||
| Informal | 885 | – | ||||
| General | Lindsay Verrier | Alliance Party | Unopposed | Elected | ||
| Indo-Fijian | Vijay R. Singh | Alliance Party | 26,634 | Elected | ||
| Vijay Singh | Federation Party | 8,068 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 808 | – | ||||
| Western | Fijian | Joshua Toganivalu | Alliance Party | 25,960 | Elected | |
| Penaia Rokovuni | Federation Party | 23,171 | ||||
| Isikeli Nadalo | National Democratic Party | 4,242 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 2,085 | – | ||||
| General | Loloma Livingston | Alliance Party | 23,768 | Elected | ||
| Peter Davis | Independent | 22,677 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 8,882 | – | ||||
| Indo-Fijian | K. S. Reddy | Alliance Party | 28,200 | Elected | ||
| Deo Narayan | Federation Party | 25,509 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 1,729 | – | ||||
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | ||||||
Aftermath
[edit]Following the elections, the two independents joined the Alliance Party.[2] A new government was formed with Kamisese Mara as Leader of Government Business.[4] The Executive Council consisted of six elected members and four civil servants.[5]
| 1966 Executive Council | |
|---|---|
| Position | Member |
| Leader of Government Business | Kamisese Mara |
| Natural Resources | |
| Attorney General | Justin Lewis |
| Acting Chief Secretary | Ian Thomson |
| Commerce, Industry and Tourism | Edward Cakobau |
| Communications and Works | Charles Stinson |
| Financial Secretary | Harry Richie |
| Secretary for Fijian Affairs and Local Government | Penaia Ganilau |
| Social Services | Vijay R. Singh |
| Undersecretary for Social Services | K. S. Reddy |
| Without portfolio | John Falvey |
At the first meeting of the Legislative Council on 11 November, Ronald Kermode was elected Speaker unopposed, with James Madhavan elected Deputy Speaker.[6]
Full ministerial government was introduced on 1 September 1967. On the same day, the Federation Party MLCs walked out of the Legislative Council.[7] After they missed three meetings, the nine Indo-Fijian communal seats were declared vacant and a series of by-elections held in 1968.
| 1967 Cabinet | |
|---|---|
| Position | Minister |
| Chief Minister | Kamisese Mara |
| Minister for Commerce, Industry and Labour | Edward Cakobau |
| Minister for Communications, Works and Tourism | Charles Stinson |
| Minister for Fijian Affairs and Local Government | Penaia Ganilau |
| Minister for Finance | Harry Richie |
| Minister for Natural Resources | Douglas Walkden-Brown |
| Minister without Portfolio | John Falvey |
| Minister for Social Services | Vijay R. Singh |
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Militant Indians active as Fiji goes to the polls Pacific Islands Monthly, October 1966, p9
- ^ a b c d e 1966 Fiji Legislative Council elections Fiji Elections
- ^ "79 At The Barriers For Fiji's Biggest Election", Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1966, pp13–14
- ^ Ratu Mara heads Fiji's new government Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1966, p10
- ^ Fiji's new government Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1966, p11
- ^ Fiji's New Opposition Gets Down To Business Pacific Islands Monthly, December 1966, p9
- ^ And in Fiji the phrase is, 'We won't co-operate' Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1967, pp19–20
