Timoci Uluivuda Bavadra (22 September 1934 – 3 November 1989) was a Fijian medical doctor who founded the

Fiji Labour Party The Fiji Labour Party (FLP; ),() also known as Fiji Labour, is a political party in Fiji. Most of its support is from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoc ...

and served as the

Prime Minister of Fiji The prime minister of Fiji is the head of government of the Republic of Fiji. The prime minister is appointed under the terms of the 2013 Constitution. The prime minister is the head of the Cabinet and appoints and dismisses ministers. Des ...

for one month in 1987. He was born in Viseisei,

Viti Levu Viti Levu (pronounced ; ) is the largest island in Fiji. It is the site of the country's capital and largest city, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population. Geology Fiji lies in a plate tectonics, tectonically complex area betwe ...

, and was a medical doctor and politician by profession. Contesting his first

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

in 1987, Bavadra forged an electoral coalition between his Labour Party and the much older,

Indo-Fijian Indo-Fijians () are Fijians of South Asian descent whose ancestors were Girmitiyas, indentured labourers. Indo-Fijians trace their ancestry to various regions of the Indian subcontinent. Although Indo-Fijians constituted a majority of Fiji's ...

-dominated

National Federation Party The National Federation Party ( Fiji Hindi: नेशनल फेडरेशन पार्टी; Fijian: ''Mataisoqosoqo ni National Federation'') is a Fijian political party founded by A. D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Fe ...

. Although much larger, the NFP agreed to play a junior role in the coalition, aware that much of the ethnic Fijian community was not ready to accept an Indo-Fijian Prime Minister; even a government with a significant Indo-Fijian presence was itself bound to stretch the patience of ethnic Fijians. The election was a stunning upset. The Labour-NFP coalition captured 28 seats, four more than the Alliance Party, thereby ending the twenty-year reign of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, who, first as Chief Minister and subsequently as Prime Minister, had led Fiji since its pre-independence years. Although an ethnic Fijian, Bavadra had been elected mostly with the support of Indo-Fijians. Of the 28 members of his parliamentary caucus, only seven were ethnic Fijians, all of them elected from predominantly Indo-Fijian constituencies, a factor which caused considerable resentment among extremist sections of the Fijian population. Only nine percent of the ethnic Fijian electorate had voted for Bavadra's coalition, but even this was an unprecedented feat – a point that was largely overlooked. Bavadra was opposed to nuclear testing and had hinted that visits by nuclear-armed warships of the United States Navy might not be welcome. Allegations have been made that the United States either supported or allowed Lieutenant-Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka to stage the coup on 13 May 1987 that brought down Bavadra's government. Unable to reverse the coup,

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau formally dismissed Bavadra on 19 May. Bavadra made a tour of

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

capitals, attempting to rally support, but got little more than sympathy. In London in June, Queen Elizabeth, on advice of the Fijian Governor-General, refused to meet him. After a period of negotiations, another coup, and a period of military rule, Ratu Mara again took office as Prime Minister on 5 December. Bavadra died of cancer in 1989.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bavadra, Timoci 1934 births 1989 deaths Deaths from cancer in Fiji Prime ministers of Fiji Fiji Labour Party politicians Leaders ousted by a coup Fijian medical doctors I-Taukei Fijian members of the House of Representatives (Fiji) Politicians from Lautoka 20th-century Fijian medical doctors

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