FijiFirst ( fj, iMatai ni Viti) is a
liberal political party in
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
. The party was formed in March 2014 by then
Prime Minister,
Frank Bainimarama.
Formation
The party was launched on 31 March 2014 with Bainimarama beginning a nationwide tour of the country in a campaign bus to collect the obligatory 5000 signatures necessary to register a political party.
The party collected over 40,000 signatures for its registration.
Bainimarama says FijiFirst is a name that encompasses his political beliefs.
He listed his first candidate and party president
Jiko Luveni.
The party appointed former
Fiji Labour Party senator
Bijai Prasad
Bijai Prasad was one of the eight nominees of the Leader of the Opposition to the Senate of Fiji after the 2006 elections. In 2014, he became Vice-President of the newly formed FijiFirst
FijiFirst ( fj, iMatai ni Viti) is a liberal political ...
as one of its Vice Presidents as well as the current Attorney General
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum as the party General secretary. Bijai Prasad resigned as VP a day later citing a criminal conviction for larceny in the 1980s for which he had served jail time.
The Tui
Macuata
Macuata is one of Fiji's fourteen Provinces, and one of three based principally on the northern island of Vanua Levu, occupying the north-eastern 40 percent of the island. It has a land area of 2004 square kilometers.
The Province has 114 villa ...
, Ratu
Wiliame Katonivere was also selected as a vice president of the party. Vimlesh Kumar who is an accountant and an affiliate member of CPA Australia is listed as the treasurer.
The party's application for registration resulted in six complaints, including one claiming that "Fiji 1st" was previously used by another party. Despite this, the party was registered on 30 May 2014.
2014 election
The party released its first batch of 21 candidates on July 25, 2014
with
Frank Bainimarama heading the list. As a result of the 2014
Fijian general elections, the party won 293,714 votes, 59.2% of all those who voted (495,105 voters), giving the party a clear majority with 32 of the 50 Parliamentary seats.
2018 election
The party ran 51 candidates in the
2018 elections
The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world.
Africa
*2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018
*2018 Sierra Leonean general elect ...
, ten of which were women. FijiFirst won the 2018 general elections with a reduced majority from the
2014 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2014.
* 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014
Africa
* 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014
* 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014
* 2014 Comorian presi ...
. FijiFirst accumulated 227,241 of the votes that resulted on the party gaining 50.02% that allocated to 27 seats enough for the party to govern alone within a slim majority.
2022 election
Despite remaining the first party in the
2022 election FijiFirst saw its vote share reducing again down to 42.55%, causing the party to lose its majority in the Parliament. With only 3 seats the
SODELPA
The Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) is a Fijian political party. The party was formed in January 2013 after the dissolution of the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua. The party currently has no party leader.
History
Party foundation ...
emerged as kingmaker, and after 6 days of negotiations it decided to support a
PAP-led cabinet, effectively ending FijiFirst's eight-year tenure and Bainimarama's 16-year premiership.
Electoral history
Parliamentary elections
References
External links
Official website
{{Political parties in Fiji
2014 establishments in Fiji
Political parties established in 2014
Political parties in Fiji
Social liberal parties
Populist parties