Council of Chiefs in a statement issued on 22 December, and
reappointed by the coup leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA in
January 2007
head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10
September 2000); note - although QARASE is still the legal prime
minister, he has been confined to his home island; the president
appointed Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA interim prime minister under
the military regime
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the
members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament; note - coup
leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA has appointed an interim cabinet
elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister
appointed by the president; election last held 8 March 2006
election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president
by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed
by the president on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs, 9
appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister, 8 on
the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1 appointed on the advice
of the council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71
seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for ethnic
Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1 reserved for the
council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and
25 open seats; members serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 6-13 May 2006 (next
to be held in 2011)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - SDL 44.6%, FLP 39.2%, UPP 0.8%, independents 4.9%, other
10.5%; seats by party - SDL 36, FLP 31, UPP 2, independents 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of
Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts

Political parties and leaders:

Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic
Party or FDP [Filipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat
Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or
FAP, Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Sitiveni
RABUKA], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Ofa SWANN]); Fiji Labor
Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP
(became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP;
Justice and Freedom Party or AIM; Lio