In 2018, the small island nation in the South Pacific quietly enters a pivotal year: four years after the 2014 elections, the Republic of Fiji will hold its second general election since returning to civilian rule.

Fiji is a country with an economy that has developed ahead of other Pacific nations such as Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Tonga, which are in the vicinity.Population 900,000And theeconomyis supported one-third by sugar exports, but tourism is the next largest growth springboard. The mild year-round climate and crystal-clear waters have made the country a "hotbed" for tourism. Home to happiness （Fiji is so called the "Home of Happiness" that people come from all over the world to enjoy a peaceful vacation. However, it was only a decade ago that Fiji experienced an "unsettled" history with four coups d'état. The story goes back to colonial times.

IMF data Created based on

Plantation workers brought from India

Today, Fiji is roughly 60% Fijian and 40% Indian (2007), as well as numerous other ethnic groups.configuration(*1) Indians were brought from their home country to work on sugar cane plantations during the British colonial period. (*1) Indian descent was brought from the home country to work on sugar cane plantations during British rule, and in the 37 years from 1879 to 1916Over 61,000 peopleAt the time of independence in 1970, the Indian population outnumbered the Fijian population, and it was the Indian population that actually ran the country's economy. However, the political helm of the country was in the hands of Fijians, with the encouragement of the former sovereign nation, and the separation of politics and economy, and the then commonplace distinction between the twoLack of dialogue between ethnic groupswill create conflict and political instability in Fiji.

When the constitution was drawn up upon independence, the Indian descent demanded political participation of the people without racial discrimination, but the inequality of the resulting constitution was evident. The National Assembly has a bicameral system, with the House of Representatives, where seats allocated by ethnicity are decided by vote, while in the Senate, traditional political leaders of Fijian descent, who govern the villages, appoint more than one-third of the seats. In terms of land ownership, more than 80% of the country's land was considered common land for Fijians, which could not be surplus, while Indian land ownership was restricted.

People passing through the capital city of Suva. People of many ethnic backgrounds. (2012) (Photo: kyle post/Flickr ［photo CC BY 2.0])

Beginning of the coup

In 1987, the first coup d'etat took place. The trigger was the April 1987 general election in which a coalition government of the Indian-backed National Coalition Party and the Fiji Labor Party replaced the Alliance Party, which had previously held a majority. Following the election results, in which Indian ministers took half of the parliamentary seats, Fiji Defense Force Lt. Col. RambukatwiceThe country seceded from the Commonwealth and transitioned to a republic after seizing power in a coup d'état in The 1970 Constitution is suspended and a revised constitution is promulgated with the primary objective of protecting Fijian traditions and interests. Of the 70 seats in the House of Representatives, Fijians were allocated 37 seats, more than half, and Indians were allocated 27 seats. Racial apportionment was also applied in the Senate, but Indian descent was not included and 24 of the 34 seats were appointed by the President on the advice of Fijian village leaders. Other government ethnocentrism, such as limiting the prime minister to people of Fijian descent, was enough to put the Indian population in jeopardy and to drive many out of the country...over a nine-year period beginning in 1987,75,000 peopleof Indian descent left the country.

However, the administration soon found itself in need of a policy shift. Fiji's abandonment of democratic government was condemned by the United Nations and neighboring countries, and the exodus of Indian descent, which had been largely employed in skill-based occupations, hollowed out the economy and society. The ethnocentrism was also detrimental to Fijians, and the exodus of Indians, combined with the relief of having a majority Fijian population, led to the promulgation of a new constitution in a mood of ethnic harmony and an attempt to rebuild the country.

Pale Dreams of Rebuilding

Fiji's attempt to take a new step forward as a nation fell apart all too quickly. The election of Labor's Chaudhry as the first Indian Prime Minister in the 1999 general elections, the year after the promulgation of the new constitution, once again ignited a sense of crisis among some Fijians. In 2000, the year after the election, business tycoon George Speight led an armed group to take over Parliament and hold Choudhry hostage for 56 days in a major incident. The government was handed over to the Fijian-affiliated Galase, and once again the history of democratic politics was countered by a Fijian-affiliated coup d'etat.

A restaurant burned down in the riots that followed the coup (Suva 2000) (Photo: Merbabu/Wikipedia Commons ［photo: Merbabu/Wikipedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0])

The real reason Speight led the coup was because the Choudhry administration canceled contracts with the two lumber companies he represented.theoryThere are also. Whether Speight was motivated by nationalist sentiments or economic goals, the administration faced uncertainty surrounding the coup and business, as Galase was rumored to have been behind the coup d'état. Galase became prime minister in the 2001 general election and was reelected in June 2006, but was ousted in December of the same year in a coup d'état by National Commander Bainimarama, who denounced the government's lack of transparency. Bainimarama succeeded in this bloodless coup and became prime minister in January of the following year.

Bainimarama period (of Japanese history, approx. 1467-1568 CE)

Neighboring countries looked at Fiji harshly after the country abandoned democratic politics. PIF (Pacific Islands Forum)Fiji was disqualified from participation in the PIF for ignoring the roadmap to democratization that was presented in It also rejoined the Commonwealth in 1997, but was kicked out of the Commonwealth for failing to comply with the democratization process demanded by the UK. This cooled relations with neighboring Australia and New Zealand, and Fiji's foreign policy took a sharp turn toward strengthening ties with Russia, China, ASEAN, and Arab countries.

Prime Minister Bainimarama (right) shakes hands with then Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (Moscow 2013) (Photo: The Russian Government )

The country was a one-party dictatorship, and the military exercised control over the population. Media freedom was severely restricted, and broadcasting stations were monitored by the military. Some intellectuals who criticized the regime were expelled from the country.-ian (e.g. Italian, etc.) (attaches to name of country)In 2009, the court ruled that the then interim government was illegitimate and unconstitutional and ordered the president to appoint a new interim prime minister and interim government. In response, Bainimarama was again appointed by the president as prime minister for the next five years and declared general elections to be held by 2014.

In 2013, the year before the elections, a new constitution was promulgated based on a draft prepared by the government and completed after listening to the public. It showed consideration for Fijians and ethnic minorities by clearly stating the protection of their property, and at the same time, it aimed to create a national identity that transcended ethnicity by including both Fijian and Hindi in the primary education curriculum. The National Assembly was changed from a bicameral to a unicameral 50-seat legislature, with no ethnic distinctions, and voters of both Fijian and Indian descent were able to cast their votes equally.

And in 2014, for the first time in eight yearsgeneral election (of the lower house)Bainimarama was re-elected. This was Fiji's first election without racial distinctions and a fresh start as a democratic nation.

Second election since return to civilian government

Has Fiji become a true democracy since the 2014 elections?criticismMany of them. The strict candidacy requirements hamstringed other parties, and the election was something that Bainimarama did knowing that he would win.how to look at something (e.g. noh, train schedule)There are also And although government surveillance of the media ostensibly ended in 2012, journalists are still not allowed to speak freely, including criticism of the government, and experts who were deported before the election have not yet been allowed to return to their home countries.

However, it is also clear that Fiji has increased its presence in the world since the election, even though it has only just reemerged as a democratic nation. Relations with Australia and New Zealand have been revived, and the country has returned to the PIF. In addition, Fiji's resident representative to the UN General Assembly PresidentPeter Thomsonwas elected, and at COP21 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) in 2015, he was the first in the entire world to ratify the Paris Agreement, and two years laterCOP23The fact that Fiji became the host country was also significant in thePacific countries directly affected by climate changeposition, Fiji is working to lead the world as a leading advertisement for improving environmental issues.

Prime Minister Bainimarama addressing COP23 (Bonn 2017) (Photo: UNclimatechange /Flickr [ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0])

There has not been a coup in 11 years. If this year's general elections are carried out peacefully, it will prove that democracy in Fiji is taking root, at least formally, but how will the people evaluate the last four years? This past February.public opinion pollThen, led by Bainimarama Fiji First Partyis 32%, followed by FijianSocial Liberal Democratic Partyis 22%, and Indian descent Constitutional National Coalition Party (1910-1922)has the support of 3%. At that point, however, respondents 34% have not yet decided which party they will vote for, and their decision will determine the outcome of the election. The election schedule will be announced soon. In addition to ethnic issues, development issues such as education and poverty reduction are likely to be the main issues in the election campaign, which is about to get into full swing. We will be keeping a close eye on Fiji as it tries to overcome the difficulties it faces as a multi-ethnic nation.

A boat carrying tourists from Denarau Harbor to a remote island (Photo: Miho Kono)

*1: Hereafter, Fijians of Fijian descent will be referred to as "Fijian" and Fijians of Indian descent as "Indian".

Writer: Miho Kono
Graphic: Miho Kono