Surjeet Singh's Fiji Elections Archive

The 1966 general election was the first election held in Fiji under Universal adult suffrage. The 1965 London constitutional conference resulted in a 36 member Legislative Council, where fourteen seats were reserved for Fijian (ethnic Fijians, Rotumans and Other Pacific Islanders), 12 seats were reserved for Indians and 10 seats were reserved for General voters who included Europeans, Part-Europeans, Chinese, Part-Chinese and others who did not fit into the first two categories.

There were two types of seats - communal and cross-voting. In communal constituencies a voter could only vote for a candidate of his racial group. There were a total of 25 communal seats - nine for Fijians, nine for Indians and seven for General Electors.

There were also three cross-voting constituencies where members, each of which returned three members, one for each racial group. In these constituencies all the voters voters voted to elect a Fijian, an Indian and a General member.

Thus each voter had four votes.

There were also two members nominated by the Great Council of Chiefs

For the first time in Fiji's history, the elections was mainly between two political parties - The Alliance Party and the Federation Party. The Federation Party managed to win only the nine Indian Communal seats, whereas the Alliance won all the rest except two that were won by independents who later joined the Alliance.

After the election a Ministerial system of Government was established with Kamisese Mara as Chief Minister and A.D. Patel as Leader of Opposition.

Surjeet Singh's	Fiji Elections Archive
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	The 1966 general election was the first election held in Fiji under Universal adult suffrage. The 1965 London constitutional conference resulted in a 36 member Legislative Council, where fourteen seats were reserved for Fijian (ethnic Fijians, Rotumans and Other Pacific Islanders), 12 seats were reserved for Indians and 10 seats were reserved for General voters who included Europeans, Part-Europeans, Chinese, Part-Chinese and others who did not fit into the first two categories. There were two types of seats - communal and cross-voting. In communal constituencies a voter could only vote for a candidate of his racial group. There were a total of 25 communal seats - nine for Fijians, nine for Indians and seven for General Electors. There were also three cross-voting constituencies where members, each of which returned three members, one for each racial group. In these constituencies all the voters voters voted to elect a Fijian, an Indian and a General member. Thus each voter had four votes. There were also two members nominated by the Great Council of Chiefs For the first time in Fiji's history, the elections was mainly between two political parties - The Alliance Party and the Federation Party. The Federation Party managed to win only the nine Indian Communal seats, whereas the Alliance won all the rest except two that were won by independents who later joined the Alliance. After the election a Ministerial system of Government was established with Kamisese Mara as Chief Minister and A.D. Patel as Leader of Opposition.	Fijian communal seats Constituency 1 Constituency 2 Constituency 3 Constituency 4 Constituency 5 Constituency 6 Constituency 7 Constituency 8 Constituency 9 Fijian nominated seats Member 1 Member 2 Fijian cross-voting seats Northern and Eastern Southern Western General communal seats Constituency 1 Constituency 2 Constituency 3 Constituency 4 Constituency 5 Constituency 6 Constituency 7 General cross-voting seats Northern and Eastern Southern Western Indian communal seats Suva Nausori/Tailevu Nasinu/Vunidawa Nadi Lautoka Ba Tavua Ra Bua Labasa Indian cross-voting seats Northern and Eastern Southern Western
Last modified on 03 Jul 2007 \| Email me \| © Surjeet Singh