Fiji Government

What is the capital of Fiji?

Country Name Fiji
Full Country Name Republic of Fiji
Local - Long Republic of Fiji (English)/ Matanitu ko Viti (Fijian)
Local - Short Fiji (English)/ Viti (Fijian)
Etymology- history of name the Fijians called their home Viti, but the neighboring Tongans called it Fisi, and in the Anglicized spelling of the Tongan pronunciation - promulgated by explorer Captain James COOK - the designation became Fiji
Government Type parliamentary republic
Capital Name Suva (on Viti Levu)
Capital - geographic coordinate 18 08 S, 178 25 E
Capital Time Difference UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight Savings Time +1hr, begins first Sunday in November; ends second Sunday in January
Independence 10 October 1970 (from the UK)
National Holiday Fiji (Independence) Day, 10 October (1970)
Constitution history: several previous; latest signed into law 6 September 2013

amendments: proposed as a bill by Parliament and supported by at least three quarters of its members, followed by referral to the president and then to the Electoral Commission, which conducts a referendum; passage requires approval by at least three-quarters of registered voters and assent by the president

Fiji Capital City Map

Source: Google Maps

Fiji Government and Politics

Who is the president of Fiji?

Executive Branch: chief of state: President Ratu Wiliame KATONIVERE (since 12 November 2021)

head of government: Prime Minister Sitiveni Ligamamada RABUKA (since 24 December 2022)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament

elections/appointments: president elected by Parliament for a 3-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22 October 2021 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister endorsed by the president

election results: 2021: Ratu Wiliame KATONIVERE elected president; Wiliame KATONIVERE (People's Alliance) 28 votes, Teimumu KEPA (SODELPA) 23 votes
Citizenship Criteria: citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Fiji

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: at least 5 years residency out of the 10 years preceding application
Legal System: common law system based on the English model
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch: description: unicameral Parliament (55 seats; members directly elected in a nationwide, multi-seat constituency by open-list proportional representation vote with a 5% electoral threshold; members serve 4-year terms)

elections: last held on 14 December 2022 (next to be held in 2026)

election results: percent of vote by party - FijiFirst 42.5%, People's Alliance 35.8%, NFP 8.9%, SODELPA 5.1%, other 7.7%; seats by party - FijiFirst 26, People's Alliance 21, NFP 5, SODELPA 3; composition as of January 2024 - men 50, women 5, percent of women 9.1%
Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, all justices of the Court of Appeal, and judges appointed specifically as Supreme Court judges); Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, all puisne judges of the High Court, and judges specifically appointed to the Court of Appeal); High Court (chaired by the chief justice and includes a minimum of 10 puisne judges; High Court organized into civil, criminal, family, employment, and tax divisions)

judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the president of Fiji on the advice of the prime minister following consultation with the parliamentary leader of the opposition; judges of the Supreme Court, the president of the Court of Appeal, the justices of the Court of Appeal, and puisne judges of the High Court appointed by the president of Fiji upon the nomination of the Judicial Service Commission after consulting with the cabinet minister and the committee of the House of Representatives responsible for the administration of justice; the chief justice, Supreme Court judges and justices of Appeal generally required to retire at age 70, but this requirement may be waived for one or more sessions of the court; puisne judges appointed for not less than 4 years nor more than 7 years, with mandatory retirement at age 65

subordinate courts: Magistrates' Court (organized into civil, criminal, juvenile, and small claims divisions)
Regions or States: 14 provinces and 1 dependency*; Ba, Bua, Cakaudrove, Kadavu, Lau, Lomaiviti, Macuata, Nadroga and Navosa, Naitasiri, Namosi, Ra, Rewa, Rotuma*, Serua, Tailevu
Political Parties and Leaders: Fiji First [Voroqe "Frank" BAINIMARAMA]

Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]

Freedom Alliance [Jagath KARUNARATNE] (formerly Fiji United Freedom Party or FUFP)

National Federation Party or NFP [Biman PRASAD] (primarily Indian)

People's Alliance [Sitiveni RABUKA]

Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Lynda TABUYA]

Social Democratic Liberal Party or SODELPA [Lenaitasi DURU, general secretary]

Unity Fiji [Savenaca NARUBE]
International Law Organization Participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International Organization Participation: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca (suspended), SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic Representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Aporosa BABAKOBUA

chancery: 1707 L Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (917) 208-4560

FAX: [1] (202) 466-8325

email address and website:

info@FijiEmbassyDC.com

https://www.fijiembassydc.com/
Diplomatic Representation from US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marie DAMOUR (since 24 November 2022); note - also accredited to Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu

embassy: 158 Princes Road, Tamavua, Suva

mailing address: 4290 Suva Place, Washington DC 20521-4290

telephone: [679] 331-4466

FAX: [679] 330-2267

email address and website:

SuvaACS@state.gov

https://fj.usembassy.gov/
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