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1966 Fijian general election

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1966 Fijian general election

← 1963 26 September–8 October 1966 1972 →

All 36 seats in the Legislative Council
18 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Kamisese Mara A. D. Patel
Party Alliance Federation Party
Seats won 23 9
Popular vote 214,872 113,310
Percentage 51.94% 27.39%

Elected Chief Minister

Kamisese Mara
Alliance

General elections were held in Fiji between 26 September and 8 October 1966,[1] the last before independence in 1970 and the first held under universal suffrage.[2] The result was a victory for the Alliance Party, which won 23 of the 34 elected seats. Its leader Kamisese Mara became the country's first Chief Minister the following year.

Background

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A constitutional conference was held in London in 1965, which resulted in the Legislative Council being reorganised to consist of 36 seats; 14 for Fijians and other Pacific Islanders (two of which were nominated by the Great Council of Chiefs), 12 for Indo-Fijians and 10 for all other ethnic groups.[2] The total number of registered voters was 156,683; 75,768 Indo-Fijians, 74,575 Fijians and 6,340 General electors.[1]

Members of the Legislative Council were elected from two types of constituencies; communal and cross-voting, with voters being able to cast four votes each. Each voter cast a single vote in one of the 25 communal constituencies, in which they could only vote for a candidate of their own ethnicity. In the three three-seat cross-voting constituencies, voters voted for a candidate from each of the three ethnic groups.[2]

Campaign

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For the first time, the elections were a largely partisan event, dominated by the Fijian Alliance Party and the Indo-Fijian Federation Party.[2] A total of 79 candidates contested the elections, three of which were women.[3]

Results

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PartyVotes%Seats
Alliance Party214,87251.9423
Federation Party113,31027.399
National Democratic Party6,8741.660
Independents78,64419.012
Nominated members2
Total413,700100.0036
Valid votes413,70093.16
Invalid/blank votes30,3726.84
Total votes444,072100.00
Source: Fiji Elections

By constituency

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Seat Candidate Party Votes % Notes
Fijian seats
Cakaudrove Jone Naisara Alliance Party 4,908 Elected
Anare M. Tuidraki Independent 949
Invalid votes 314
Lau–Rotuma Jonati Mavoa Alliance Party Unopposed Elected
Lomaiviti/Kadavu Solomone Momoivalu Alliance Party Unopposed Elected
Macuata/Bua Emosi Vuakatagane Alliance Party 2,885 Elected
Militoni Vereaqali Leweniqila Independent 1,774
Invalid votes 207
North West Viti Levu Sakeasi Waqanivavalagi Alliance Party 6,354 Elected
Isaia Vakabua Independent 1,670
Jone Ravunakana Independent 1,268
Invalid votes 191
Rewa–Suva Alipate Sikivou Alliance Party 4,427 Elected
Jone Cure Mataitini Independent 1,779
Noa Niubalavu Nawalowalo Independent 1,268
Invalid votes 158
South Central Viti Levu David Toganivalu Alliance Party 4,368 Elected
Penaia Lalabalavu Latianara Independent 981
Meli Radelaiburelevu Loki Independent 873
Ifereimi Nakaiwalu Independent 205
Invalid votes 182
South West Viti Levu Peniame Naqasima Alliance Party 5,600 Elected
Apisai Tora National Democratic Party 2,632
Invalid votes 133
Tailevu William Brown Toganivalu Alliance Party 3,347 Elected
Livai Volavola Independent 1,530
Meli Saronicava Baleilakeba Independent 383
Invalid votes 187
Council of Chiefs nominees George Cakobau Elected
Losalini Raravuya Dovi Elected
General seats
Eastern and Central Wesley Barrett Alliance Party 816 Elected
Robert Spowart Independent 132
Invalid votes 11
Northern Harold Brockett Gibson Independent 392 Elected
Fred Archibald Independent 292 Unseated
Hugh Thaggard Independent 151
Lawrence Simpson Independent 73
Invalid votes 33
Suva John Falvey Alliance Party 1,544 Re-elected
Charles Stinson Independent 1,384 Elected
William Yee Alliance Party 1,381 Elected
Margaret Bain Alliance Party 1,288
Invalid votes 4
West Viti Levu Ronald Kermode Alliance Party Unopposed Re-elected
Robin Yarrow Alliance Party Unopposed Elected
Indo-Fijian seats
North-East Vanua Levu James Madhavan Federation Party 5,049 66.9 Re-elected
Gaya Prasad Independent 2,494 33.1
Invalid votes 320
North-East Viti Levu C. A. Shah Federation Party 3,799 58.2 Re-elected
Vishnu Deo Alliance Party 1,955 30.0
V. P. Bajpai Independent 770 11.8
Invalid votes 100
North Eastern Ram Jati Singh Federation Party 2,328 65.3 Elected
Harish Chandra Kohli Independent 1,238 34.7
Invalid votes 206
North-West Viti Levu R. D. Patel Federation Party 4,704 Elected
James Shankar Singh Alliance Party 4,421
Invalid votes 104
South-Central Viti Levu M. T. Khan Federation Party 4,380 Elected
Ramanlal I. Kapadia Independent 1,650
B.D. Moti Independent 67
B. D. Lakshman Independent 24
Invalid votes 150
South-West Viti Levu A. D. Patel Federation Party 7,601 Re-elected
Ayodhya Prasad Alliance Party 4,025
Invalid votes 167
Suva Irene Jai Narayan Federation Party 5,676 67.1 Elected
Andrew Deoki Independent 2,779 32.9 Unseated
Invalid votes 108
Tailevu-Rewa K. C. Ramrakha Federation Party 3,220 71.5 Elected
K. B. Singh Independent 677 15.1
Ram Lochan Regan Independent 604 13.4
Invalid votes 105
West Viti Levu Indian Sidiq Koya Federation Party 6,318 Re-elected
Jaswant Singh Independent 2,221
C. A. Patel Independent 19
Invalid votes 201
Source: Pacific Islands Monthly
Cross-voting seats
Constituency Ethnic group Candidate Party Votes % Notes
Central Fijian Edward Cakobau Alliance Party Unopposed Re-elected
General Douglas Walkden-Brown Alliance Party 21,208 Elected
James Ah Koy Independent 5,604
David Whippy Independent 2,622
Trevor McNally Independent 976
Invalid votes 11,518
Indo-Fijian Abdul Lateef Alliance Party 15,498 Elected
Madho Singh Tikaram Federation Party 13,487
C. P. Singh Independent 7,939 Unseated
Shiu Narayan Kanhai Independent 1,505
M. Columbus Independent 1,077
M. Azam Independent 987
Invalid votes 1,584
Northern and Eastern Fijian Kamisese Mara Alliance Party 26,025 Re-elected
Nemani Waka Independent 8,635
Informal 885
General Lindsay Verrier Alliance Party Unopposed Elected
Indo-Fijian Vijay R. Singh Alliance Party 26,634 Elected
Vijay Singh Federation Party 8,068
Invalid votes 808
Western Fijian Joshua Toganivalu Alliance Party 25,960 Elected
Penaia Rokovuni Federation Party 23,171
Isikeli Nadalo National Democratic Party 4,242
Invalid votes 2,085
General Loloma Livingston Alliance Party 23,768 Elected
Peter Davis Independent 22,677
Invalid votes 8,882
Indo-Fijian K. S. Reddy Alliance Party 28,200 Elected
Deo Narayan Federation Party 25,509
Invalid votes 1,729
Source: Pacific Islands Monthly

Aftermath

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Following the elections, the two independents joined the Alliance Party.[2] A new government was formed with Kamisese Mara as Leader of Government Business.[4] The Executive Council consisted of six elected members and four civil servants.[5]

1966 Executive Council
Position Member
Leader of Government Business Kamisese Mara
Natural Resources
Attorney General Justin Lewis
Acting Chief Secretary Ian Thomson
Commerce, Industry and Tourism Edward Cakobau
Communications and Works Charles Stinson
Financial Secretary Harry Richie
Secretary for Fijian Affairs and Local Government Penaia Ganilau
Social Services Vijay R. Singh
Undersecretary for Social Services K. S. Reddy
Without portfolio John Falvey

At the first meeting of the Legislative Council on 11 November, Ronald Kermode was elected Speaker unopposed, with James Madhavan elected Deputy Speaker.[6]

Full ministerial government was introduced on 1 September 1967. On the same day, the Federation Party MLCs walked out of the Legislative Council.[7] After they missed three meetings, the nine Indo-Fijian communal seats were declared vacant and a series of by-elections held in 1968.

1967 Cabinet
Position Minister
Chief Minister Kamisese Mara
Minister for Commerce, Industry and Labour Edward Cakobau
Minister for Communications, Works and Tourism Charles Stinson
Minister for Fijian Affairs and Local Government Penaia Ganilau
Minister for Finance Harry Richie
Minister for Natural Resources Douglas Walkden-Brown
Minister without Portfolio John Falvey
Minister for Social Services Vijay R. Singh
Source: Pacific Islands Monthly

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Militant Indians active as Fiji goes to the polls Pacific Islands Monthly, October 1966, p9
  2. ^ a b c d e 1966 Fiji Legislative Council elections Fiji Elections
  3. ^ "79 At The Barriers For Fiji's Biggest Election", Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1966, pp13–14
  4. ^ Ratu Mara heads Fiji's new government Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1966, p10
  5. ^ Fiji's new government Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1966, p11
  6. ^ Fiji's New Opposition Gets Down To Business Pacific Islands Monthly, December 1966, p9
  7. ^ And in Fiji the phrase is, 'We won't co-operate' Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1967, pp19–20