The New Nationalist Party is a Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

an political party with a strongly nationalist

Nationalism

Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...

 platform, arguing for the paramountcy of indigenous Fijian

Fijian people

Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...

 interests and of the Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 faith, professed by the great majority of indigenous Fijians but relatively few Indo-Fijians, who comprise some 38 percent

Demographics of Fiji

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Fiji, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....

 of the country's population. The party, a splinter from the Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party, was registered on 1 June 2001 and claims to be the heir to the legacy of the late Sakeasi Butadroka

Sakeasi Butadroka

Sakeasi Butadroka was a Fijian politician noted for his strident ethnic nationalism. Originally elected to the House of Representatives as a member of the ruling Fijian Alliance in the parliamentary election of 1972, he was expelled from the Alliance for his public attacks against the presence of...

 and the Fiji Nationalist Party.

In a surprise announcement on 20 January 2006, the party announced that it was dropping its demand for the repatriation of Indo-Fijians to India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Citizens of Indian descent would now be welcome to join the party, said party President Saula Telawa

Saula Telawa

Saula Telawa is a Fijian nationalist politician who serves as President of the New Nationalist Party, which advocates indigenous Fijian paramountcy. He has also championed the establishment of Christianity, the faith of most indigenous Fijians, as Fiji's official religion...

, and to contest the forthcoming election

Fiji election of 2006

The Constitution of Fiji requires general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. The latest election was held on 6-13 May 2006. Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi issued a proclamation on 2 March, effective from 27 March, dissolving Parliament...

 under its banner - provided that they were Christians. Aspiring candidates would need to submit references from a Fijian chief

Ratu

Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...

 and their local pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

, to prove that they had been born-again Christians for a minimum period of three years, Telawa told the Fiji Sun

Fiji Sun

The Fiji Sun is a daily newspaper published in Fiji. Owned by Sun News Limited, it was first published in September 1999. An internet edition is also published....

.