Cabinet of Fiji

Cabinet Of Fiji

Fiji has the Westminster system — executive authority is vested nominally in a president, but exercised in practice by a cabinet of ministers, presided over by the prime minister. The prime minister is formally appointed, but not chosen, by the president: the president must appoint as prime minister someone who can control a majority of votes in the House of Representatives. In practice, this is normally the leader of the largest political party or coalition in the house. If there is no clear majority in the House of Representatives, however, the president's role becomes more important: he or she must assume the role of arbitrator and open negotiations with the leaders of the various political parties, in the hope of finding someone whom a majority will accept as prime minister. In the event of that failing to take place, the president must dissolve the House of Representatives and call an early election.