Coalition Membership
Its establishment was announced on 30 July 2005 by Tomasi Vakatora, a former Cabinet Minister and Speaker of the House of Representatives. The original participating parties were: the United Fiji Party (SDL) and the Conservative Alliance (CAMV) (these two parties were already in coalition, comprising bulk of the present government), the Fijian Political Party (SVT) (which led Fiji's governments from 1992 to 1999), the Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party (NVTL), and the People's National Party (PNP). Coalition membership was later reduced to three parties; the CAMV decided to disband to join the SDL on 17 February 2006, and the PNP withdrew its membership on 7 March, following its decision to merge with the Party of National Unity (PANU) and oppose the coalition in the upcoming parliamentary election.
SVT General Secretary Ema Druavesi said on 23 January 2006 that the membership of the coalition was still open to any party willing to join. Vakatora, for his part, clarified on 15 February that membership was not limited to indigenous Fijian parties; if parties led by Indo-Fijians expressed interest in joining, they would be welcomed - provided that they signed the coalition's code of conduct.
Read more about this topic: Grand Coalition For Fiji
Famous quotes containing the word membership:
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