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{{Short description|none}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Politics of Fiji}}
{{Infobox election
| country = Fiji
| type = parliamentary
| previous_election = 1963 Fijian general election
| previous_year = 1963
| election_date = 26 September–8 October 1966
| next_election = 1972 Fijian general election
| next_year = 1972
| seats_for_election = All 36 seats in the [[Fijian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]]
| majority_seats = 18


| leader1 = [[Kamisese Mara]]
'''General elections''' were held in [[Fiji]] in 1966, the last before independence in 1970 and the first held under [[universal suffrage]].<ref name=FE>[http://fijielections.blogspot.com/2017/02/1966-fiji-legislative-council-elections.html 1966 Fiji Legislative Council elections] Fiji Elections</ref> The result was a victory for the [[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]], which won 23 of the 34 elected seats. Its leader [[Kamisese Mara]] became the country's first Chief Minister the following year.
| image1 = Kamisese Mara.jpg
| party1 = Alliance Party (Fiji)
| seats1 = '''23'''
| popular_vote1 = '''214,872'''
| percentage1 = '''51.94%'''

| leader2 = [[A. D. Patel]]
| image2 = 3x4.svg
| party2 = Federation Party
| seats2 = 9
| popular_vote2 = 113,310
| percentage2 = 27.39%

| title = [[Chief Minister of Fiji|Chief Minister]]
| before_election =
| before_party =
| after_election = [[Kamisese Mara]]
| after_party = Alliance Party (Fiji)
}}{{Politics of Fiji}}

General elections were held in [[Fiji]] between 26 September and 8 October 1966,<ref name=PIM2>[https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-370541289/view?partId=nla.obj-370564855#page/n10/mode/1up Militant Indians active as Fiji goes to the polls] ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', October 1966, p9</ref> the last before independence in 1970 and the first held under [[universal suffrage]].<ref name=FE>[http://fijielections.blogspot.com/2017/02/1966-fiji-legislative-council-elections.html 1966 Fiji Legislative Council elections] Fiji Elections</ref> The result was a victory for the [[Alliance Party (Fiji)|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==
==Background==
A constitutional conference was held in [[London]] in 1965, which resulted in the [[Legislative Council of Fiji|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.<ref name=FE/>
A constitutional conference was held in [[London]] in 1965, which resulted in the [[Legislative Council of Fiji|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.<ref name=FE/> The total number of registered voters was 156,683; 75,768 Indo-Fijians, 74,575 Fijians and 6,340 [[General electors]].<ref name=PIM2/>


Members of the Legislative Council were elected from two types of constituency; 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 constituency, 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.<ref name=FE/>
Members of the Legislative Council were elected from two types of constituencies; [[Communal constituencies|communal]] and [[National constituencies|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.<ref name=FE/>


==Campaign==
==Campaign==
For the first time, the election was a largely partisan event, dominated by the Fijian [[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]] and the Indo-Fijian [[Federation Party]].<ref name=FE/>
For the first time, the elections were a largely partisan event, dominated by the Fijian [[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]] and the Indo-Fijian [[Federation Party]].<ref name=FE/> A total of 79 candidates contested the elections, three of which were women.<ref>"79 At The Barriers For Fiji's Biggest Election", ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', September 1966, pp13–14</ref>


==Results==
==Results==
{{Election results
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:right
|party1=[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]|votes1=214872|seats1=23
!Party
|party2=[[Federation Party]]|votes2=113310|seats2=9
!Votes
|party3=[[National Democratic Party (Fiji, 1960s)|National Democratic Party]]|votes3=6874|seats3=0
!%
|party4=Independents|votes4=78644|seats4=2
!Seats
|row5=Nominated members|seats5=2
|-
|invalid=30372
|align=left|[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||214,872||51.94||23
|source=[http://fijielections.blogspot.com/2017/02/1966-fiji-legislative-council-elections.html Fiji Elections]
|-
}}
|align=left|[[Federation Party]]||113,310||27.39||9
|-
|align=left|[[National Democratic Party (Fiji, 1960s)|National Democratic Party]]||6,874||1.66||0
|-
|align=left|Independents||78,644||19.01||2
|-
|align=left|Nominated||–||–||2
|-
|align=left|Invalid/blank votes||30,372||–||–
|-
|align=left|'''Total'''||'''444,072'''||'''100'''||'''36'''
|-
|align=left colspan=4|Source: [http://fijielections.blogspot.com/2017/02/1966-fiji-legislative-council-elections.html Fiji Elections]
|}


===By constituency===
===By constituency===
Line 54: Line 72:
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|314||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|314||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|Lau-Rotuma||[[Jonate Mavoa]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Elected
|Lau–Rotuma||[[Jonati Mavoa]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Elected
|-
|-
|Lomaiviti/Kadavu||[[Solomone Momoivalu]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Elected
|Lomaiviti/Kadavu||[[Solomone Momoivalu]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Elected
Line 72: Line 90:
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|191||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|191||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|rowspan=4|Rewa–Suva||[[Alipate Vuate Sikivou]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|4,427||align=right| ||Elected
|rowspan=4|Rewa–Suva||[[Alipate Sikivou]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|4,427||align=right| ||Elected
|-
|-
|Jone Cure Mataitini||Independent||align=right|1,779||align=right| ||
|Jone Cure Mataitini||Independent||align=right|1,779||align=right| ||
Line 98: Line 116:
|rowspan=4|Tailevu||[[William Brown Toganivalu]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|3,347||align=right| ||Elected
|rowspan=4|Tailevu||[[William Brown Toganivalu]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|3,347||align=right| ||Elected
|-
|-
|Livai Volavola||Independent||align=right|1,580||align=right| ||
|Livai Volavola||Independent||align=right|1,530||align=right| ||
|-
|-
|Meli Saronicava Baleilakeba||Independent||align=right|383||align=right| ||
|Meli Saronicava Baleilakeba||Independent||align=right|383||align=right| ||
Line 126: Line 144:
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|33||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|33||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|rowspan=5|Suva||[[John Falvey]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|1544||align=right| ||Re-elected
|rowspan=5|Suva||[[John Falvey]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|1,544||align=right| ||Re-elected
|-
|-
|[[Charles Stinson (Fijian politician)|Charles Stinson]]||Independent||align=right|1,384||align=right| ||Elected
|[[Charles Stinson (Fijian politician)|Charles Stinson]]||Independent||align=right|1,384||align=right| ||Elected
Line 138: Line 156:
|rowspan=2|West Viti Levu||[[Ronald Kermode]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Re-elected
|rowspan=2|West Viti Levu||[[Ronald Kermode]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Re-elected
|-
|-
|R. H. Yarrow||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Elected
|[[Robin Yarrow (politician)|Robin Yarrow]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Elected
|-
|-
!colspan=6|Indo-Fijian seats
!colspan=6|Indo-Fijian seats
Line 150: Line 168:
|rowspan=4|North-East Viti Levu||[[C. A. Shah]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|3,799||align=right|58.2||Re-elected
|rowspan=4|North-East Viti Levu||[[C. A. Shah]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|3,799||align=right|58.2||Re-elected
|-
|-
|[[Vishnu Deo]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|1,955||align=right|30.0||
|Vishnu Deo||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|1,955||align=right|30.0||
|-
|-
|V. P. Bajpai||Independent||align=right|770||align=right|11.8||
|V. P. Bajpai||Independent||align=right|770||align=right|11.8||
Line 162: Line 180:
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|206||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|206||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|rowspan=3|North-West Viti Levu||[[R. D. Patel]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|4,704||align=right|51.7||Elected
|rowspan=3|North-West Viti Levu||[[R. D. Patel]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|4,704||align=right| ||Elected
|-
|-
|James Shankar Singh||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|4,401||align=right|48.3||
|[[James Shankar Singh]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|4,421||align=right| ||
|-
|-
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|104||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|104||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|rowspan=4|South-Central Viti Levu||[[M. T. Khan]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|4,380||align=right|72.3||Elected
|rowspan=5|South-Central Viti Levu||[[M. T. Khan]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|4,380||align=right| ||Elected
|-
|-
|Ramanlal I. Kapadia||Independent||align=right|1,650||align=right|27.3||
|Ramanlal I. Kapadia||Independent||align=right|1,650||align=right| ||
|-
|-
|[[B. D. Lakshman]]||Independent||align=right|24||align=right|0.4||
|B.D. Moti||Independent||align=right|67|| ||
|-
|[[B. D. Lakshman]]||Independent||align=right|24||align=right| ||
|-
|-
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|150||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|150||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|rowspan=3|South-West Viti Levu||[[A. D. Patel]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|7,601||align=right|64.4||Re-elected
|rowspan=3|South-West Viti Levu||[[A. D. Patel]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|7,601||align=right| ||Re-elected
|-
|-
|[[Ayodhya Prasad]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|4,205||align=right|35.6||
|[[Ayodhya Prasad]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|4,025||align=right| ||
|-
|-
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|167||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|167||align=right|–||
Line 196: Line 216:
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|105||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|105||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|rowspan=4|West Viti Levu Indian||[[Sidiq Koya]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|6,318||align=right|73.7||Re-elected
|rowspan=4|West Viti Levu Indian||[[Sidiq Koya]]||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|6,318||align=right| ||Re-elected
|-
|-
|Jaswant Singh||Independent||align=right|2,240||align=right|26.1||
|Jaswant Singh||Independent||align=right|2,221||align=right| ||
|-
|-
|C. A. Patel||Independent||align=right|19||align=right|0.2||
|C. A. Patel||Independent||align=right|19||align=right| ||
|-
|-
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|201||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|201||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|colspan=6|Source: [https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331795230/view?partId=nla.obj-331929900#page/n41/mode/1up Pacific Islands Monthly]
|colspan=6|Source: [http://fijielections.blogspot.com/2017/02/1966-fiji-legislative-council-elections.html Fiji Elections]
|}
|}


Line 218: Line 238:
!Notes
!Notes
|-
|-
|rowspan=8|Central||Fijian||[[Edward Cakobau]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Re-elected
|rowspan=13|Central||Fijian||[[Edward Cakobau]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Re-elected
|-
|-
|General||[[Lindsay Verrier]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Elected
|rowspan=5|General||[[Douglas Walkden-Brown]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|21,208||align=right| ||Elected
|-
|-
|rowspan=6|Indo-Fijian||[[Abdul Lateef (Fijian lawyer)|Abdul Lateef]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|15,598||align=right| ||Elected
|[[James Ah Koy]]||Independent||align=right|5,604||align=right| ||
|-
|David Whippy||Independent||align=right|2,622||align=right| ||
|-
|Trevor McNally||Independent||align=right|976||align=right| ||
|-
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|11,518||align=right|–||
|-
|rowspan=7|Indo-Fijian||[[Abdul Lateef (Fijian lawyer)|Abdul Lateef]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|15,498||align=right| ||Elected
|-
|-
|Madho Singh Tikaram||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|13,487||align=right| ||
|Madho Singh Tikaram||[[Federation Party]]||align=right|13,487||align=right| ||
|-
|-
|[[C. P. Singh]]||Independent||align=right|7,989||align=right| ||Unseated
|[[C. P. Singh]]||Independent||align=right|7,939||align=right| ||Unseated
|-
|-
|Shiu Narayan Kanhai||Independent||align=right|1,505||align=right| ||
|[[Shiu Narayan Kanhai]]||Independent||align=right|1,505||align=right| ||
|-
|M. Columbus||Independent||align=right|1,077|| ||
|-
|-
|M. Azam||Independent||align=right|987||align=right| ||
|M. Azam||Independent||align=right|987||align=right| ||
Line 234: Line 264:
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|1,584||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|1,584||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|rowspan=11|Northern and Eastern||rowspan=3|Fijian||[[Kamisese Mara]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|26,025||align=right| ||Re-elected
|rowspan=7|Northern and Eastern||rowspan=3|Fijian||[[Kamisese Mara]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|26,025||align=right| ||Re-elected
|-
|-
|Nemani Waka||Independent||align=right|8,635||align=right| ||
|Nemani Waka||Independent||align=right|8,635||align=right| ||
Line 240: Line 270:
|colspan=2|Informal||align=right|885||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Informal||align=right|885||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|rowspan=5|General||[[Douglas Brown (Fijian politician)|Douglas Brown]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|21,208||align=right| ||Elected
|General||[[Lindsay Verrier]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=center colspan=2|Unopposed||Elected
|-
|[[James Ah Koy]]||Independent||align=right|5,604||align=right| ||
|-
|David Whippy||Independent||align=right|2,622||align=right| ||
|-
|Trevor McNally||Independent||align=right|976||align=right| ||
|-
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|11,518||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|rowspan=3|Indo-Fijian||[[Vijay R. Singh]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|26,634||align=right| ||Elected
|rowspan=3|Indo-Fijian||[[Vijay R. Singh]]||[[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]]||align=right|26,634||align=right| ||Elected
Line 276: Line 298:
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|1,729||align=right|–||
|colspan=2|Invalid votes||align=right|1,729||align=right|–||
|-
|-
|colspan=7|Source: [https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331795230/view?partId=nla.obj-331929900#page/n41/mode/1up Pacific Islands Monthly]
|colspan=7|Source: [http://fijielections.blogspot.com/2017/02/1966-fiji-legislative-council-elections.html Fiji Elections]
|}
|}


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
Following the elections, the two independents joined the Alliance Party.<ref name=FE/> A new government was formed with [[Kamisese Mara]] as Leader of Government Business.<ref>[https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331795230/view?partId=nla.obj-331922013#page/n11/mode/1up Ratu Mara heads Fiji's new government] ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', November 1966, p10</ref> The Executive Council consisted of six elected members and four civil servants.<ref>[https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331795230/view?partId=nla.obj-331922278#page/n12/mode/1up Fiji's new government] ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', November 1966, p11</ref>
Following the elections, the two independents joined the Alliance Party.<ref name=FE/>

{| class=wikitable
!colspan=2|1966 Executive Council
|-
!Position
!Member
|-
|Leader of Government Business||rowspan=2|[[Kamisese Mara]]
|-
|Natural Resources
|-
|[[Attorney General of Fiji|Attorney General]]||[[Henry Roger Justin Lewis|Justin Lewis]]
|-
|Acting Chief Secretary||[[Ian Thomson (Fiji)|Ian Thomson]]
|-
|Commerce, Industry and Tourism||[[Edward Cakobau]]
|-
|Communications and Works||[[Charles Stinson (Fijian politician)|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 of the House of Representatives of Fiji|Speaker]] unopposed, with [[James Madhavan]] elected Deputy Speaker.<ref>[https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331795483/view?partId=nla.obj-331935507#page/n10/mode/1up Fiji's New Opposition Gets Down To Business] ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', December 1966, p9</ref>

Full ministerial government was introduced on 1 September 1967. On the same day, the [[Federation Party]] MLCs walked out of the Legislative Council.<ref>[https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-326774875/view?partId=nla.obj-326821038#page/n20/mode/1up And in Fiji the phrase is, 'We won't co-operate'] ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', September 1967, pp19–20</ref> After they missed three meetings, the nine Indo-Fijian communal seats were declared vacant and a series of [[1968 Fijian by-elections|by-elections]] held in 1968.

{| class=wikitable
!colspan=2|1967 Cabinet
|-
!Position
!Minister
|-
|Chief Minister||[[Kamisese Mara]]
|-
|Minister for Commerce, Industry and Labour||[[Edward Cakobau]]
|-
|Minister for Communications, Works and Tourism||[[Charles Stinson (Fijian politician)|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]]
|-
|colspan=2|Source: [https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-326774875/view?partId=nla.obj-326821342#page/n21/mode/1up Pacific Islands Monthly]
|}


==See also==
Most Indo-Fijian members stopped attending Legislative Council meetings in 1967 after the government refused to amend the electoral system. After they missed three meetings, the nine Indo-Fijian communal seats were declared vacant and a series of [[1968 Fijian by-elections|by-elections]] held in 1968.
*[[List of members of the Parliament of Fiji (1966–1972)]]


==References==
==References==
Line 291: Line 372:
[[Category:Elections in Fiji]]
[[Category:Elections in Fiji]]
[[Category:1966 elections in Oceania|Fiji]]
[[Category:1966 elections in Oceania|Fiji]]
[[Category:1966 in Fiji]]
[[Category:1966 in Fiji|General]]
[[Category:Colony of Fiji]]
[[Category:Colony of Fiji]]
[[Category:1966 elections in the British Empire|Fiji]]
[[Category:September 1966 events in Oceania|Fiji]]
[[Category:October 1966 events in Oceania|Fiji]]

Latest revision as of 14:11, 11 June 2023

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

Politics of Fiji
Constitution
Executive
Legislative
Judiciary
Elections
Local government
Foreign relations
Former and informal

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]
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

[edit]
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

[edit]

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

[edit]

References

[edit]
  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
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