The Paramount Chief of Fiji (Fijian:Ilisapeci-Na Radi ni Viti kei Peritania or Ilisapeci-Na Tui Viti) is the name given to Queen Elizabeth II in Fiji. The Great Council of Chiefs recognises her as the most senior chief, but the position is not one of a constitutional, or otherwise legal nature. Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. ...

The Fiji coups of 1987 resulted in the overthrow of the elected government of Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra, and in the declaration of a republic. The first coup, in which Bavadra was deposed, took place on May 14, 1987; a second coup on September 28 ended the Fijian Crown, and was shortly followed by the proclamation of a republic on October 7. The Fiji coups of 1987 resulted in the overthrow of the elected government of Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra and in the declaration of a republic. ... Timoci Uluivuda Bavadra (September 22, 1934 - November 3, 1989) was a medical doctor who served for one month as the Prime Minister of Fiji in 1987 and who founded the Fiji Labour Party. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

As a Commonwealth Realm, Fiji's Head of State was the Queen of Fiji, Elizabeth II. The Fijian Supreme Court ruled the coup unconstitutional, and the Queen's representative, Governor General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, unsuccessfully attempted to assert executive power. He opened negotiations, known as the Deuba Talks, with both the deposed government, and the Alliance Party, which most indigenous Fijians, supported. These negotiations culminated in the Deuba Accord of September 23, 1987, which provided for a government of national unity, in which both parties would be represented under the leadership of the Governor-General. Fearing that the gains of the first coup were about to be lost, Sitiveni Rabuka staged a second coup on September 25. The Commonwealth Realms, shown in pink A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the sixteen sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that recognise Elizabeth II as their respective monarch. ... Head of state or Chief of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state. ... The title of Queen of Fiji was held by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom between 1972 and 1987. ... The supreme court functions as a court of last resort whose rulings cannot be challenged, in some countries, provinces and states. ... 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). ... Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu Ganilau (28 July 1918-15 December 1993) was the first President of Fiji, serving from 8 December 1987 till his death. ... The Alliance Party, was the ruling political party in Fiji from 1966 to 1987. ... Indigenous Fijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Great Council of Chiefs, a formal body of mostly hereditary chiefs, continues to recognise Elizabeth II as its Paramount Chief, as was officially confirmed by the Great Council in 1998. The majority of the members of this Council are descendants and blood relatives of the chiefs who ceded Fiji to Queen Victoria, Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother, in 1874. The declaration by the Great Council of Chiefs affirming Elizabeth's rights as Paramount Chief is unique, as it indicates she takes precedence within the Council over the President of the Republic of Fiji, who again can only be selected from a chiefly house and member of the GCC. The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... 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. ...

External links

• Ratu Mara: A Family Man Leader And Statesman (reference to Ratu Mara's support for restoring monachy in Fiji)