Chapter 8 Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga)

Chapter 8: Executive Government. Chapter 8 of the Fiji Constitution

Constitution of Fiji

The 1997 Constitution of Fiji was the supreme law of Fiji from its adoption in 1997 until 2009 when President Josefa Iloilo purported to abrogate it. It was also suspended for a period following the 2000 coup d'état led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama....

 is titled Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga). Its single section (Section 116) enshrines in the constitution a powerful feudal institution that has played a pivotal role in Fiji's history.

Section 116 Bose Levu Vakaturaga

This chapter, the shortest in the Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

 Constitution, stipulates that the Great Council of Chiefs, or Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian

Fijian language

Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 450,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language...

, originally established under the Fijian Affairs Act, continues in existence, and that its membership, functions, operations, and procedures are as prescribed by that act.

The Great Council of Chiefs is a very old body, which has its roots in the chiefly councils established by Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau

Seru Epenisa Cakobau

Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau was a Fijian Ratu and warlord who united part of Fiji's warring tribes under his leadership, establishing a united Fijian kingdom.-Background:...

 in the 1800s. It was retained as a consultative body by the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 colonial rulers. It had no formal political role, however, until Fiji became independent in 1970. Under the independence constitution, it gained the authority to nominate 8 of the then 22 Senators

Senate (Fiji)

The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. It is the less powerful of the two chambers; it may not initiate legislation, but may amend or veto it. The Senate's powers over financial bills are more restricted: it may veto them in their entirety, but may not amend them...

.

Today, the Great Council of Chiefs nominates 14 Senators out of 32, and also serves as an electoral college to choose the President and Vice-President. But these powers are not stated in this chapter; they are set out elsewhere in the constitution.

Although previously established by an Act of Parliament

Act of Parliament

An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

, the framers of the 1997 Constitution thought it best to enshrine it there. With increased political representation being granted to Indo-Fijians, the chiefs

Ratu

Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...

felt they needed the security of having the Great Council enshrined in the constitution, and not merely in a legal document that could be amended at the whim of politicians.