Composition of The Council
The Great Council had most recently consisted of 55 members, mainly hereditary chiefs along with some specially qualified commoners. The composition was as follows:
- The President of Fiji (ex officio)
- The Vice-President of Fiji (ex officio)
- The Prime Minister of Fiji (ex officio)
- 6 members appointed by the President, on the advice of the Minister for Fijian Affairs
- 42 provincial councillors (3 chosen by each of Fiji's 14 provincial councils)
- 3 representatives of the Council of Rotuma
- 1 life member (Sitiveni Rabuka)
These arrangements came into being on 9 June 1990. Previously, 22 parliamentarians holding seats allocated to indigenous Fijians held membership ex officio in the Great Council of Chiefs, along with 2 or 3 representatives from each of the 14 provincial councils. In addition, there were 8 chiefs and 7 commoners chosen by the Minister for Fijian Affairs. Following two military coups in 1987, the Council decided to abolish the right of elected parliamentarians to hold ex officio council membership, and to reduce the number of government appointees.
Except for the life member, all members served four-year terms.
The Council also recognised Elizabeth II, former Queen of Fiji, as Paramount Chief, but she was not formally a member of the Council.
Read more about this topic: Great Council Of Chiefs
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