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House of Representatives (Fiji)

Overview

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 (the Senate, by contrast, can amend or veto most legislation, but cannot initiate it). The House of Representatives also has much greater jurisdiction over financial bills; the Senate cannot amend them, although it may veto them. Except in the case of amendments to the Constitution, over which a veto of the Senate is absolute, the House of Representatives may override a Senatorial veto by passing the same bill a second time, in the parliamentary session immediately following the one in which it was rejected by the Senate, after a minimum period of six months.

Last but not least, the Prime Minister and Cabinet must retain the confidence of a majority of the House of Representatives in order to remain in office.

The House of Representatives has 71 members, all of whom are elected for five-year terms to represent single-member constituencies. Of these, 25 are elected by universal suffrage from "open electorates" ("open" meaning that the franchise is open to all locally resident Fijian citizens, irrespective of their ethnic background). The remaining 46 are elected on separate communal rolls for the ethnic Fijian, Indo-Fijian, and Rotuman communities, with a fourth roll for "General Electors" (Europeans, Chinese, and other minorities). 23 communal seats in the House of Representatives are reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 for Indo-Fijians, 1 for Rotuman Islanders, and 3 for "General Electors". Every Fijian citizen eligible to vote thus has two votes - one for an open electorate, and one for a communal electorate.

At its first session following a general election, the House of Representatives elects a Speaker and a Speaker||Ratu Epeli Nailatikau? |- |Deputy Speaker||Ratu Rakuita Vakalalabure? |}

?Not a member of the House ?Member of the House for the Cakaudrove West Fijian Communal constituency (see below)

Open Electorates

Electorate	Member of Parliament	Political Party
Ba	Mahendra Chaudhry	Fiji Labour Party
Bua Macuata West	Isireli Tuvuki	United Fiji Party
Cakaudrove West	Manasa Tugia	Conservative Alliance (Fiji)
Cunningham	Solomoni Naivalu	United Fiji Party
Labasa	Poseci Bune	Fiji Labour Party
Lami	Kaliopate Tavola	United Fiji Party
Lau Taveuni Rotuma	Colonel Savenaca Draunidalo	Independent
Laucala	Losena T. Salabula	United Fiji Party
Lautoka City	Daniel Urai Manufolau	Fiji Labour Party
Lomaivuna Namosi Kadavu	Ted Young	United Fiji Party
Macuata East	Krishna Datt	Fiji Labour Party
Magodro	Gyan Singh	Fiji Labour Party
Nausori Naitasiri	Asaeli Masilaca	United Fiji Party
Nadi	Krishna Prasad	Fiji Labour Party
Nadroga	Jonetani K. Galuinadi	United Fiji Party
Nasinu Rewa	Peniasi Silatolu	United Fiji Party
Ra	George Shiu Raj	United Fiji Party
Samabula Tamavua	Manoa Dobui	United Fiji Party
Suva City	Ofa Swann	New Labour Unity Party
Serua Navosa	Col. Pio Iowane Wong	United Fiji Party
Tavua	Pravin Singh	Fiji Labour Party
Tailevu North	Ovalau Josefa Bole Vosanibola	United Fiji Party
Tailevu South Lomaiviti	Adi Asenaca Coboiverata Caucau-Filipe	United Fiji Party
Vuda	Sir Vijay Singh	Fiji Labour Party
Yasawa Nawaka	Perumal Mupnar	Fiji Labour Party

Communal Electorates (Fijian)

Electorate	Member of Parliament	Political Party
Ba East	Joeli Nabuka	United Fiji Party
Ba West	Tomasi N. Sauqaqa	United Fiji Party
Bua	Josateki Vula	Conservative Alliance (Fiji)
Cakaudrove East	Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu	Conservative Alliance (Fiji)
Cakaudrove West	Ratu Rakuita S. Vakalalabure	Conservative Alliance (Fiji)
Kadavu	Konisi T. Yabaki	United Fiji Party
Lau	Laisenia Qarase	United Fiji Party
Lomaiviti	Simione Kaitani	United Fiji Party
Macuata	Isireli Leweniqila	Conservative Alliance (Fiji)
Nadroga Navosa	Pita Nacuva	United Fiji Party
Naitasiri	Ilaitia Bulidiri Tuisese	United Fiji Party
Namosi	Ratu Suliano Matanitobua	United Fiji Party
Nasinu Urban	Emasi Qovu	United Fiji Party
North East Urban	Filimoni Banuve	United Fiji Party
North West Urban	Joji N. Banuve	United Fiji Party
Ra	Tomasi Vuetilovoni	United Fiji Party
Rewa	Ro Teimumu Vuikaba Kepa	United Fiji Party
Serua	Joketani Cokanasiga	United Fiji Party
South West Urban	Ratu Jone Kubuabola	United Fiji Party
Suva City Urban	Mataiasi V. Ragiagia	United Fiji Party
Tailevu North	Samisoni Tikoinasau	Conservative Alliance (Fiji)
Tailevu South	Irami Matairavula	United Fiji Party
Tamavua Laucala Urban	Lt. Col. Jonetani Kaukimoce	United Fiji Party

Communal Electorates (Indo-Fijian)

Electorate	Member of Parliament	Political Party
Ba East	Satendra Singh	Fiji Labour Party
Ba West	Ahmed Gaffar	Fiji Labour Party
Labasa	James Shri Krishna	Fiji Labour Party
Labasa Rural	Mohammed Rafiq	Fiji Labour Party
Laucala	Kamlesh Kumar Arya	Fiji Labour Party
Lautoka City	Dr. Ganeshwar Chand	Fiji Labour Party
Lautoka Rural	Udit Narayan	Fiji Labour Party
Macuata East Cakaudrove	Ram Sharan	Fiji Labour Party
Nadi Rural	Dr. Gunasagaran Gounder	Fiji Labour Party
Nadi Urban Cakaudrove	Amjad Ali	Fiji Labour Party
Nadroga	Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi	Fiji Labour Party
Nasinu	Pratap Chand	Fiji Labour Party
Suva City	Gyani Nand	Fiji Labour Party
Tailevu	Rewa Ragho Nand	Fiji Labour Party
Tavua	Anand Babla	Fiji Labour Party
Vanua Levu West	Surendra Lal	Fiji Labour Party
Viti Levu South Kadavu	Prince Gopal Lakshman	Fiji Labour Party
Vitilevu East Maritime	Sanjeet Chand Maharaj	Fiji Labour Party
Vuda	Vyas Deo Sharma	Fiji Labour Party

Communal Electorate (Rotuman)

Electorate	Member of Parliament	Political Party
Rotuma	Marieta Rigamoto	Independent

Communal Electorates (General Electors)

Electorate	Member of Parliament	Political Party
North Eastern	David Ariu Christopher	United Fiji Party
Suva City	Kenneth Vincent Zinck	New Labour Unity Party
West Central	Millis Malcolm Beddoes	United General Party