The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. It is not to be confused with the House of Chiefs, a larger body which includes all hereditary chiefs, although membership of the two bodies overlaps to a considerable extent. The Great Council of Chiefs is established under Section 116 of the 1997 Constitution, but it actually predates the Constitution by many years, having been established by the British colonial rulers as an advisory body in 1876, two years after Britain had annexed Fiji. The Constitution merely formalizes and codifies functions that the Council had long performed. It has continued in existence without interruption, although its composition and functions have varied over the years. The Council is currently chaired by Ratu Ovini Bokini, with Ratu Sakiusa Makutu as his Deputy. The term House of Chiefs is a collective term used to refer to the Fijian nobility, which consists of about seventy chiefs of various ranks. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Ratu Ovini Bokini is a Fijian statesman. ...

Composition of the Council

The Great Council currently consists of 55 members, mainly hereditary chiefs along with some specially qualified commoners. Its composition is as follows: Ratu is a title inherited by Fijians of chiefly rank. ...

Politics of Fiji
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Chapter 6: The Parliament. ... Chapter 7: Executive Government. ... Chapter 8 Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga) Chapter 8: Executive Government. ... Chapter 9 Judiciary Section 117 Judicial power (1) The judicial power of the State vests in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court and in such other courts as are created by law. ... Chapter 10 State Services Section 140 Recruitment and promotion policy The recruitment of persons to a state service, the promotion of persons within a state service and the management of a state service must be based on the following principles: (a) government policies should be carried out effectively and efficiently... Chapter 11 Accountability Part 1 Code of Conduct Section 156 Code of Conduct (1) This section applies to the President, Vice-President, Ministers, members of Parliament, holders of offices established by or continued in existence under this Constitution, members of commissions, Secretaries of departments, the Secretary to the Cabinet and... Chapter 12 Revenue and Expenditure Section 175 Raising of revenue The raising by the Government of revenue or moneys, whether through the imposition of taxation or otherwise, must be authorised by or under an Act. ... Chapter 13 Group Rights Section 185 Alteration of certain Acts (1) A bill alters any of the following Acts, namely: (a) Fijian Affairs Act; (b) Fijian Development Fund Act; (c) Native Lands Act; (d) Native Land Trust Act; (e) Rotuman Act; (f) Rotuman Lands Act; (g) Banaban Lands Act; or... 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The Great Council of Chiefs The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a formal assembly of Fijis senior hereditary chiefs, along with some representatives of the national government and provincial councils, who may or may not be hereditary chiefs themselves. ... Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues with the aim to participate in power, usually by participating in elections. ... Fiji was a British Crown Colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. ... Fiji became a British Crown Colony in 1874, and an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth in 1970; the British Monarch (Queen Elizabeth II remained the Head of State until 1987, when she formally abdicated following two military coups). ... 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• The President of Fiji (ex officio)
• The Vice-President of Fiji (ex officio)
• The Prime Minister of Fiji (ex officio)
• 6 members appointed by the President, on the advice of the Minister for Fijian Affairs
• 42 provincial councillors (3 chosen by each of Fiji's 14 provincial councils)
• 3 representatives of the Council of Rotuma
• 1 life member (Sitiveni Rabuka)

These arrangements came into being on 9 June 1990. Previously, 22 parliamentarians holding seats allocated to indigenous Fijians held membership ex officio in the Great Council of Chiefs, along with 2 or 3 representatives from each of the 14 provincial councils. In addition, there were 8 chiefs and 7 commoners chosen by the Minister for Fijian Affairs. Following two military coups in 1987, the Council decided to abolish the right of elected parliamentarians to hold ex officio council membership, and to reduce the number of government appointees. Fiji became a republic in 1987, when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom formally abdicated as Queen of Fiji, following two military coups led by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka. ... The Fijian vice-presidency is a mostly ceremonial office. ... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... The Minister for Fijian Affairs is the Cabinet Minister responsible for the preservation of Fijian culture and for the economic and social development of indigenous Fijians. ... The Council of Rotuma is a municipal body on the island of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency. ... Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, (born September 13, 1948) is best known as the instigator of two military coups that shook Fiji in 1987. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Overview The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fijis Parliament. ... Fijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. ... The Minister for Fijian Affairs is the Cabinet Minister responsible for the preservation of Fijian culture and for the economic and social development of indigenous Fijians. ... Fiji Coups of 1987 refers to the 1987 overthrow of the government of Fiji by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, then third in command of the Royal Fiji Military Forces. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Except for the life member, all members serve four-year terms.

Constitutional role

According to the Constitution, the Great Council of Chiefs has two major powers:

• It functions as an electoral college to elect the President and Vice-President of Fiji, for a five-year term. In certain circumstances prescribed by the Constitution, it may remove the President or Vice-President from office, in the case of felony, incompetence, negligence, or being unable to carry out their constitutional duties.
• It chooses 14 of the 32 members of the Senate. (Although Senators are ceremonially appointed by the President, his role is a mere formality: the Constitution obligates him to accept and appoint the 14 nominees chosen by the Council, as well as 18 Senators nominated by other institutions (Prime Minister 9, Leader of the Opposition 8, Council of Rotuma 1). Filling nearly half of the seats in the Senate, the nominees of the Great Council of Chiefs have an effective veto if they vote as a block, as they are almost certain to be joined by enough of the other Senators to muster a majority. They do not always vote as a block, however: Fiji's chiefs are a very diverse body. In practice, the Great Council of Chiefs delegates its prerogative of choosing Senators to Fiji's fourteen provincial councils, with each province choosing one Senator.

In addition to these constitutionally mandated functions, the Great Council of Chiefs has other roles that may from time to time be prescribed by law. In addition, it is considered almost compulsory for the government to consult and secure the approval of the Council before making major changes to the Constitution, although nothing in the Constitution requires it to do so. An electoral college is a set of electors who are empowered as a deliberative body to elect someone to a particular office. ... Fiji became a republic in 1987, when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom formally abdicated as Queen of Fiji, following two military coups led by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka. ... The Fijian vice-presidency is a mostly ceremonial office. ... The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. ... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. ... The Council of Rotuma is a municipal body on the island of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency. ... Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. ...

Recent history of the Council

From the late 1980s onwards, the Great Council of Chiefs was compromised by manipulation from the government. Since the coup of 2000, however, it has worked, with mixed succeess, to regain its independence. In 2001 it dismissed 1987 coup leader and former Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka from the chairmanship, in the midst of allegations about his possible involvement in the coup of 2000. It has also cut its former ties with the Fijian Political Party (which it originally sponsored in the early 1990s, and has declared its intention to eschew party politics in the future, although individual members of the Council will, of course, remain free to participate in politics as individuals. // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 60s and 70s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Timeline (2000) May: 19, 20, 26, 27, 29, 30. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fiji Coups of 1987 refers to the 1987 overthrow of the government of Fiji by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, then third in command of the Royal Fiji Military Forces. ... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, (born September 13, 1948) is best known as the instigator of two military coups that shook Fiji in 1987. ... The Great Council of Chiefs The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a formal assembly of Fijis senior hereditary chiefs, along with some representatives of the national government and provincial councils, who may or may not be hereditary chiefs themselves. ... The Fijian Political Party (better known by its initials SVT, which stand for its Fijan name, Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei) is a party which dominated politics in the 1990s and was the mainstay of coalition governments from 1992 to 1999, but which is currently without representation in the House... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ...

In June 2004, the Great Council of Chiefs was plunged into crisis when the government decided not to reappoint Ratu Epeli Ganilau as one of its six representatives on the Great Council; the Cakaudrove Provincial Council did not give him one of their three seats either. These decisions had the effect of prematurely ending Ganilau's term as Chairman of the Council, as its regulations require the Chairman to be a member. It is thought that Ganilau's open disagreement with several senior government figures, including Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli and Information Minister Simione Kaitani, along with fears that he was undermining the neutrality of the Great Council to use it as a platform from which to advance his own political ambitions, were factors in the Cakaudrove Provincial Council's decision. He was replaced by Ratu Ovini Bokini, who was thought to be more sympathetic to the government. Bokini was reelected to a full three-year term on 27 July 2005, and Sakiusa Makutu of Nadroga-Navosa was chosen as his Deputy, succeeding Ro Jone Mataitini, who decided not to seek reelection. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ratu Epeli Ganilau (born 10 October 1951) is a Fijian soldier and statesman, who served as Chairman of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga (Great Council of Chiefs) from 2001 to 2004. ... Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. ... The Great Council of Chiefs The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a formal assembly of Fijis senior hereditary chiefs, along with some representatives of the national government and provincial councils, who may or may not be hereditary chiefs themselves. ... The Fijian vice-presidency is a mostly ceremonial office. ... Ratu Jope Seniloli Ratu Jope Naucabalavu Seniloli (born 1939) was the Vice-President of Fiji from 25 March 2001 to 29 November 2004, when he was forced to resign following his conviction for treason on August 6, 2004, and the rejection of his appeal early in November. ... Simione Kaitani Simione Kaitani is a Fijian politician, who is currently the Minister for Transport and Shipping. ... Ratu Ovini Bokini is a Fijian statesman. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Despite Fiji now being a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, the Great Council recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as its Paramount Chief. Broadly defined, a republic is a state or country that is led by principles established by the state for the benifit of its own populace, independent of the political power of outside influences. ... Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of independent sovereign states, most of which are former colonies once governed by the United Kingdom as part of the British Empire. ... Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), styled HM The Queen ( born 21 April 1926 ) is the Queen regnant and head of state of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint...

On 20 April 2005, the Fijian government announced plans to grant greater formal powers to the Great Council. This proposal was immediately opposed by Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry, who said it would lead to "dual government," in Fiji, and also drew criticism from Ratu Epeli Ganilau. The former Chairman of the Great Council, now the interim president of the National Alliance Party, said that he believed that the powers of the Council were already sufficient. April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji. ... Mahendra Pal Chaudhry (born 9 February 1942) is the leader of the Fiji Labour Party and currently the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. ... The National Alliance Party of Fiji (NAP) is a Fijian political party. ...

In a controversial move, the Great Council decided on 28 July 2005 to endorse the government's Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which aims to establish a Commission empowered to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of the 2000 coup. Opponents, including former Great Council Chairman Ganilau, say that it is just a legal device to free government supporters who have been convicted and imprisoned on coup-related charges. July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Reconciliation and Unity Commission is a proposed government body to be set up if the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which was introduced into the Fijian Parliament on May 4, 2005, is passed. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...