| Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji |
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Coat of arms of the Republic of Fiji |
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| Appointer | President of Fiji |
| Inaugural holder | Kamisese Mara |
| Formation | 20 September 1967 |
| Fiji |
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The Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji is the head of government of Fiji. The Prime Minister was appointed by the President under the terms of the now-suspended 1997 constitution.
As a former British colony, Fiji has largely adopted British political models and follows the Westminster, or Cabinet, system of government, in which the executive branch of government is responsible to the legislature. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, but must be supported, or at least accepted, by a majority in the House of Representatives. If at any time the Prime Minister loses the "confidence" of the House, he must resign, along with the entire Cabinet. In practice, this usually reduces the Prime Minister's appointment to a formality, as the parliamentary leader of the majority political party or coalition is invariably appointed. If, however, no such majority party or coalition exists, whether due to electoral fragmentation or to party realignments after an election, the President's role becomes much more important. The President must endeavour to find a candidate acceptable to a majority in the House; if no such candidate can be found, the President must dissolve Parliament and call an election prematurely.
The Prime Minister of Fiji is technically the "first among equals," whose vote in meetings of the Cabinet carries no greater weight that that of any other minister. In practice, the Prime Minister dominates the government. Other Ministers are appointed by the President, but on the Prime Minister's advice, and may be dismissed by him at any time (although his control over ministerial appointments may be tempered by the realities of coalition politics: the leader or leaders of coalition partners may insist on having a say in the matter too).
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara was appointed Fiji's first Chief Minister on 20 September 1967. When Fiji attained its independence from Britain on 10 October 1970, the office was renamed Prime Minister. Despite the renaming, the functions of the office were not significantly changed, and the table below therefore counts Mara's term as Chief Minister as part of his Prime Ministerial term.
| # | Name | Born-Died | Term start | Term end | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara | 1920–2004 | 20 September 1967 | 13 April 1987 | Alliance Party |
| 2 | Timoci Bavadra | 1934–1989 | 13 April 1987 | 14 May 1987 | Fiji Labour Party |
| Vacant (14 May 1987 - 5 December 1987) [1] | |||||
| (1) | Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara | 1920–2004 | 5 December 1987 | 2 June 1992 | None [2] |
| 3 | Sitiveni Rabuka | 1948– | 2 June 1992 | 19 May 1999 | Fijian Political Party |
| 4 | Mahendra Chaudhry | 1942– | 19 May 1999 | 27 May 2000 | Fiji Labour Party |
| 5 | Ratu Tevita Momoedonu | 1941– | 27 May 2000 (several minutes) | Fiji Labour Party[3] | |
| Vacant (27 May 2000 - 4 July 2000) [1] | |||||
| 6 | Laisenia Qarase | 1941– | 4 July 2000 | 14 March 2001 | None [4] |
| — | Ratu Tevita Momoedonu (interim) | 1941– | 14 March 2001 | 16 March 2001 | Fiji Labour Party |
| (6) | Laisenia Qarase | 1941– | 16 March 2001 | 5 December 2006 | United Fiji Party [4] |
| 7 | Dr. Jona Senilagakali | 1929–2011 | 5 December 2006 | 4 January 2007 | Installed by military coup [5] |
| 8 | Commodore Frank Bainimarama | 1954– | 5 January 2007[1] | 10 April 2009[2] | Military |
| Vacant (10 April 2009 - 11 April 2009) [6] | |||||
| (8) | Commodore Frank Bainimarama | 1954– | 11 April 2009 | Incumbent[3] | Military |
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