People's Coalition (Fiji)
Encyclopedia
The People's Coalition was an alliance of three political parties in Fiji
, formed in March 1999 to contest the parliamentary election
to be held in May
that year. The three parties were the Fiji Labour Party
(FLP), led by Mahendra Chaudhry
, the Fijian Association Party
(FAP), led by Adi Kuini Speed
, and the Party of National Unity
(PANU), led by Apisai Tora
.
Campaigning against the SVT-NFP
-UGP
coalition supporting the incumbent Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka
, the People's Coalition won a landslide victory, taking 52 of the 71 seats in the House of Representatives
. Of these, 37 seats were from Chaudhry's FLP, and, despite protests from the FAP, Chaudhry was sworn in as Fiji's first ethnic Indo-Fijian Prime Minister.
A fourth party, the Christian Democratic Alliance
(VLV), joined the coalition after the election.
All members of the coalition suffered from defections both before and after the coup d'état
which deposed the Chaudhry government in May 2000. All except the FLP disappeared from the House of Representatives at the election
held to restore democracy in September 2001.
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...
, formed in March 1999 to contest the parliamentary election
Fiji election of 1999
General elections were held in Fiji between 8 and 15 May 1999. They were the first election held under the revised Constitution of 1997, which instituted a new electoral system and resulted in Mahendra Chaudhry taking office as Fiji's first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister.-Electoral system:Previously,...
to be held in May
May 1999
May 1999 was a month with thirty-one days.The following events also occurred during the month:...
that year. The three parties were the Fiji Labour Party
Fiji Labour Party
The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji, which holds observer status with the Socialist International. Most of its support at present comes from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoci Bavadra. It is...
(FLP), led by Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
, the Fijian Association Party
Fijian Association Party
The Fijian Association Party is a former political party in Fiji. It played a significant role in Fijian politics throughout the 1990s, but lost all of its seats in the House of Representatives in the parliamentary election of 2001....
(FAP), led by Adi Kuini Speed
Kuini Speed
Adi Kuini Teimumu Vuikaba Speed was a Fijian chief and politician, who served as Deputy Prime Minister in 1999 and 2000....
, and the Party of National Unity
Party of National Unity
The Party of National Unity is a political party in several countries:*Party of National Unity *Party of National Unity *Party of National Unity *Party of National Unity , of Georgia*Party of National Unity...
(PANU), led by Apisai Tora
Apisai Tora
Mohammad Apisai Vuniyayawa Tora is a Fijian politician and former soldier and trade unionist. As a labour leader, he was a fighter for dock workers. As a soldier, he served in Malaya and is currently the President of the Ex-Servicemen's League....
.
Campaigning against the SVT-NFP
National Federation Party (Fiji)
The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...
-UGP
United Peoples Party (Fiji)
The United Peoples Party is a political party in Fiji, whose support base lies chiefly among General Electors - Fiji Islanders who belong to ethnic minorities, such as Europeans, Chinese, Banaban Islanders, as well as multiracial people...
coalition supporting the incumbent Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka
Sitiveni Rabuka
Major-General Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, MSD, OStJ, is best known as the instigator of two military coups that shook Fiji in 1987. He was later democratically elected the third Prime Minister, serving from 1992 to 1999...
, the People's Coalition won a landslide victory, taking 52 of the 71 seats in the House of Representatives
House of Representatives (Fiji)
The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation...
. Of these, 37 seats were from Chaudhry's FLP, and, despite protests from the FAP, Chaudhry was sworn in as Fiji's first ethnic Indo-Fijian Prime Minister.
A fourth party, the Christian Democratic Alliance
Christian Democratic Alliance (Fiji)
The Christian Democratic Alliance, better known locally by its Fijian name, Veitokani ni Lewenivanua Vakarisito , was a Fijian political party that operated in the late 1990s and early 2000s....
(VLV), joined the coalition after the election.
All members of the coalition suffered from defections both before and after the coup d'état
Fiji coup of 2000
The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian putsch by hardline Fijian nationalists against the elected government of a non-native Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, on 19 May 2000, the attempt by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority on 27 May, and...
which deposed the Chaudhry government in May 2000. All except the FLP disappeared from the House of Representatives at the election
Fiji election of 2001
The Constitution of Fiji was restored by a High Court decision on 15 November 2000, following the failure of the political upheaval in which the government had been deposed and the constitution suspended in May that year. On 1 March 2001, the Appeal Court upheld the decision. An election to...
held to restore democracy in September 2001.