House of Representatives (Fiji)

Table of contents

1 Overview 2 Speaker and Deputy Speaker 3 Open Electorates 4 Communal Electorates (Fijian) 5 Communal Electorates (Indo-Fijian) 6 Communal Electorate (Rotuman) 7 Communal Electorates (General Electors)

Overview

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 Deputy Speaker. With a view to ensuring impartiality, the Speaker is not allowed to be a member of the House, though he must qualify for membership. The Deputy Speaker, however, is elected from among members of the House.

The current composition of the House of Representatives, together with its officers, is as follows:

Speaker and Deputy Speaker

Communal Electorates (Fijian)

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)

Communal Electorates (General Electors)