Praveen Bala
Encyclopedia
Praveen Kumar Bala is the current Special Administrator of Lautoka
. He is a former President of the Fiji Local Government Association and a former Mayor of the Fiji
an town
of Ba
.
(NFP) to a landslide victory in the municipal elections
held on 22 October, taking 14 of the 15 seats.
Bala attributed his victory to his party's policies and personnel. The NFP was, he claimed, the only political party promoting multiracialism and harmony, as evidenced by its multiracial slate of candidates. He accused the Fiji Labour Party
of playing "gutter-level politics" in its unsuccessful campaign to oust him.
Bala was also an unsuccessful NFP candidate for the House of Representatives
in the 2001 election
. He polled 28 percent of the vote in the Ba East
Indian Communal Constituency
, a marginal improvement on Ram Lajendra's showing in the previous election
of 1999. He made another attempt in the 2006 election
; his vote dropped marginally, but by considerably less than that of most other NFP candidates in what was a bad year for the party.
On 7 December 2005, the NFP named Bala to a 3-member "Negotiating Committee," charged with negotiating electoral pacts with other political parties for the parliamentary election due in 2006.
Praveen Bala is the only mayor in Fiji who served for 12 years continuously.
Bala was appointed Special Administrator of Lautoka
. The new Special Administrator for Ba (a non-elected position roughly analagous to mayor) is Arun Pravad.
Lautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
. He is a former President of the Fiji Local Government Association and a former Mayor of 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...
an town
Local government of Fiji
Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces; the self-governing island of Rotuma and its dependencies lie outside any of the four divisions. Each division is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the Fijian government...
of Ba
Ba (town)
Ba is a town in Fiji, 37 kilometres from Lautoka and 62 kilometres from Nadi, inland from the coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. Covering an area of 327 square kilometres, it had a population of 14,596 at the 1996 census. The town is built on the banks of the Ba River, after which it is...
.
Pre-Coup
Bala was first elected Mayor of Ba in 1996. He was re-elected unopposed by the Town Council on 28 October 2005, after leading his National Federation PartyNational 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...
(NFP) to a landslide victory in the municipal elections
Fiji municipal election, 2005
Municipal elections were held for 11 of Fiji's twelve city and town councils on 22 October 2005. In the capital city, however, elections for the Suva City Council were postponed till 12 November, owing to the death of two candidates; the death of a candidate in Lautoka also resulted in the...
held on 22 October, taking 14 of the 15 seats.
Bala attributed his victory to his party's policies and personnel. The NFP was, he claimed, the only political party promoting multiracialism and harmony, as evidenced by its multiracial slate of candidates. He accused the 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...
of playing "gutter-level politics" in its unsuccessful campaign to oust him.
Bala was also an unsuccessful NFP candidate for 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 the 2001 election
Fiji election of 2001
The Constitution of Fiji was restored by a High Court decision on 15 November 2000, following the failure of the political upheaval in which the government had been deposed and the constitution suspended in May that year. On 1 March 2001, the Appeal Court upheld the decision. An election to...
. He polled 28 percent of the vote in the Ba East
Ba East (Indian Communal Constituency, Fiji)
Ba East Indian Communal is an electoral division of Fiji, one of 19 communal constituencies reserved for Indo-Fijians. . The electorate covers the eastern part of Ba Province.- 1999 :- 2001 :- 2006 :- Sources :* *...
Indian Communal Constituency
Communal constituencies (Fiji)
Communal constituencies have been the most durable feature of the Fijian electoral system. In communal constituencies, electors enrolled as ethnic Fijians, Indo-Fijians, Rotuman Islanders, or General Electors vote for a candidate of their own respective ethnic groups, in constituencies that have...
, a marginal improvement on Ram Lajendra's showing in the previous election
Fiji election of 1999
General elections were held in Fiji between 8 and 15 May 1999. They were the first election held under the revised Constitution of 1997, which instituted a new electoral system and resulted in Mahendra Chaudhry taking office as Fiji's first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister.-Electoral system:Previously,...
of 1999. He made another attempt in the 2006 election
Fiji election of 2006
The Constitution of Fiji requires general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. The latest election was held on 6-13 May 2006. Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi issued a proclamation on 2 March, effective from 27 March, dissolving Parliament...
; his vote dropped marginally, but by considerably less than that of most other NFP candidates in what was a bad year for the party.
On 7 December 2005, the NFP named Bala to a 3-member "Negotiating Committee," charged with negotiating electoral pacts with other political parties for the parliamentary election due in 2006.
Praveen Bala is the only mayor in Fiji who served for 12 years continuously.
Post-Coup
Following the 2006 coup d'état2006 Fijian coup d'état
The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005-2006 Fijian political crisis....
Bala was appointed Special Administrator of Lautoka
Lautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
. The new Special Administrator for Ba (a non-elected position roughly analagous to mayor) is Arun Pravad.