Composition of The Senate
The Senate has 32 members. Formally, they are appointed by the President for five-year terms coinciding with the term of the House of Representatives. Constitutionally, however, the President is required to accept the nominees of specified institutions. 14 Senators are chosen by the Bose Levu Vakaturaga (Great Council of Chiefs), though in practice it has chosen to delegate this prerogative to Fiji's 14 Provincial Councils, each choosing one Senator. A further 9 Senators are chosen by the Prime Minister and 8 by the Leader of the Opposition. The one remaining Senator is selected by the Council of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency.
From among their own members, the Senators elect a President and Vice-President, whose roles are similar to those of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively. As of September 2006, the President of the Senate is Ratu Kinijoji Maivalili; the Vice-President is Hafiz Khan. They were chosen in June 2006 to replace Taito Waqavakatoga and Kenneth Low, both of whom had retired from the Senate.
The built-in near-majority of Fijian chiefs in the Senate gives them an effective veto over contentious social legislation, as well as constitutional amendments, provided they vote as a block, as they will almost certainly be joined by enough other senators to muster a majority. In addition, any changes to clauses of the constitution guaranteeing indigenous Fijian ownership and control of most of the land must be approved by 9 of the 14 Senators chosen by the Great Council of Chiefs, as well as by a majority in the Senate as a whole.
Senators, like their fellow-parliamentarians from the House of Representatives, may be appointed to the Cabinet - the executive arm of government.
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