The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

. It did not originate in 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...

 but has a long tradition; in 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...

 constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready to form a government himself should the Prime Minister lose the confidence of the House of Representatives

House of Representatives (Fiji)

The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation...

. In addition, the Leader of the Opposition chooses 8 of the 32 members of the Senate

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...

, Fiji's upper house of Parliament, and has the right to be consulted about the appointment of the Chief Justice

Chief Justice (Fiji)

The Chief Justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. He or she is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is required by the Constitution to consult the Leader of the Opposition. This does not give the Leader of the Opposition a veto, only the right to be consulted. ...

.

In Fiji, the Leader of the Opposition is formally appointed by the President. The appointment is not at the president's personal discretion, however, as he is required by the 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....

 to appoint the person most acceptable to the majority of the Opposition (defined as members of the House of Representatives who belong to political parties not represented in the Cabinet

Cabinet (Fiji)

Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is formally appointed, but not chosen, by the President: the President must appoint as Prime...

). In theory, that means the parliamentary leader of the largest Opposition party. In practice, the person most eligible may decline the office, as was the case between 2001 and 2004, when Mahendra Chaudhry

Mahendra Chaudhry

Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...

, whose Labour Party

Fiji Labour Party

The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji, which holds observer status with the Socialist International. Most of its support at present comes from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoci Bavadra. It is...

 holds 28 of the 30 Opposition seats in the House of Representatives, adamantly refused to accept the position of Leader of the Opposition, insisting that he and his party wanted representation in the Cabinet instead. Until he reversed his position late in 2004 (following the collapse of negotiations with Prime Minister Qarase

Laisenia Qarase

Laisenia Qarase is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment...

), this forced the President to appoint Mick Beddoes

Mick Beddoes

Mick Malcolm Millis Beddoes, widely known as Mick Beddoes, is a Fijian politician and businessman from Nadi, who has led the United Peoples Party since 2000, and was the Leader of the Opposition at the time of the military coup of 5 December 2006...

, the sole parliamentary representative of the United General Party

United Peoples Party (Fiji)

The United Peoples Party is a political party in Fiji, whose support base lies chiefly among General Electors - Fiji Islanders who belong to ethnic minorities, such as Europeans, Chinese, Banaban Islanders, as well as multiracial people...

, as Leader of the Opposition.

List of Leaders of the Opposition in Fiji

Order	Leader	Political Party	Term of office
1.	Sidiq M. Koya Sidiq Koya Siddiq Moidin Koya was a Fijian Indian politician and Opposition leader. He succeeded to the leadership of the mostly Indo-Fijian National Federation Party on the death of the party's founder, A.D. Patel, in October 1969, remaining in this post until 1977...	National Federation Party National Federation Party (Fiji) The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...	1970-1977
2.	Jai Ram Reddy Jai Ram Reddy Jai Ram Reddy is an Indo-Fijian statesman, who has had a distinguished career in both the legislative and judicial branches of the Fijian government...	National Federation Party National Federation Party (Fiji) The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...	1977-1983
3.	Sidiq M. Koya Sidiq Koya Siddiq Moidin Koya was a Fijian Indian politician and Opposition leader. He succeeded to the leadership of the mostly Indo-Fijian National Federation Party on the death of the party's founder, A.D. Patel, in October 1969, remaining in this post until 1977...	National Federation Party National Federation Party (Fiji) The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...	1984-1987
4.	Harish Sharma Harish Sharma Harish Chandra Sharma was a Fiji Indian politician who became the leader of the National Federation Party in 1987 and was the leader of the organisation representing most of the Hindus in Fiji, the Shree Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji.- Early life :...	National Federation Party National Federation Party (Fiji) The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...	1987
5.	Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara Kamisese Mara Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, CF, GCMG, KBE is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. He was Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992...	Alliance Party	1987
vacant			1987-1992
6.	Jai Ram Reddy Jai Ram Reddy Jai Ram Reddy is an Indo-Fijian statesman, who has had a distinguished career in both the legislative and judicial branches of the Fijian government...	National Federation Party National Federation Party (Fiji) The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...	1992-1999
7.	Ratu Inoke Kubuabola Inoke Kubuabola Ratu Inoke Kubuabola is a Fijian politician who served as Leader of the Opposition in 1999 and 2000. He became leader of the Fijian Political Party following its defeat in the 1999 election and the subsequent resignation of its leader, the defeated Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, from Parliament...	Fijian Political Party	1999-2000
vacant			2000-2001
8.	Prem Singh Prem Singh Prem Singh is a Fijian politician and a member of the National Federation Party . An Indo-Fijian, he won the Nadi Open constituency in the election of 2001, becoming the only candidate of his party to win a parliamentary seat...	National Federation Party National Federation Party (Fiji) The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...	2001-2002
9.	Millis Malcolm (Mick) Beddoes Mick Beddoes Mick Malcolm Millis Beddoes, widely known as Mick Beddoes, is a Fijian politician and businessman from Nadi, who has led the United Peoples Party since 2000, and was the Leader of the Opposition at the time of the military coup of 5 December 2006...	United General Party United Peoples Party (Fiji) The United Peoples Party is a political party in Fiji, whose support base lies chiefly among General Electors - Fiji Islanders who belong to ethnic minorities, such as Europeans, Chinese, Banaban Islanders, as well as multiracial people...  [1]	2002-2004
10.	Mahendra Chaudhry Mahendra Chaudhry Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...	Fiji Labour Party Fiji Labour Party The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji, which holds observer status with the Socialist International. Most of its support at present comes from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoci Bavadra. It is...	2004-2006
11.	Millis Malcolm (Mick) Beddoes Mick Beddoes Mick Malcolm Millis Beddoes, widely known as Mick Beddoes, is a Fijian politician and businessman from Nadi, who has led the United Peoples Party since 2000, and was the Leader of the Opposition at the time of the military coup of 5 December 2006...	United Peoples Party United Peoples Party (Fiji) The United Peoples Party is a political party in Fiji, whose support base lies chiefly among General Electors - Fiji Islanders who belong to ethnic minorities, such as Europeans, Chinese, Banaban Islanders, as well as multiracial people... [1]	2006-present
[1] The United General Party was renamed the United People's Party in 2004.