Fiji's military leader Thursday intensified his crackdown against perceived enemies of his regime, throwing out an Australian academic days after expelling the top envoys from New Zealand and Australia. The expulsion of Australian National University's Fiji expert Brij Lal also came as a close ally of self-appointed prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama was named the country's president, a largely ceremonial role. Lal was arrested on Wednesday at his home in Suva after giving a number of media... Read Full Story
Fiji's acting president Ratu Epeli Nailatikau was sworn in as head of state of the military-ruled Pacific nation Thursday. Nailatikau, a former army commander credited with guiding self-appointed Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama through his military career, was appointed as acting president after Ratu Josefa Iloilo retired at the end of July. President Nailatikau had been appointed vice president in April, a week after Bainimarama repealed the constitution, sacked the judiciary and... Read Full Story
Fiji's acting president Ratu Epeli Nailatikau was sworn in as head of state of the military-ruled Pacific nation Thursday. Nailatikau, a former army commander credited with guiding self-appointed Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama through his military career, was appointed as acting president after Ratu Josefa Iloilo retired at the end of July. President Nailatikau had been appointed vice president in April, a week after Bainimarama repealed the constitution, sacked the judiciary and... Read Full Story
LONDON (Reuters) - The Commonwealth said on Tuesday it had suspended Fiji after the Pacific Island nation failed to meet a deadline for opening talks on a return to democracy. "This is an announcement I make with deep regret -- it is a step the Commonwealth is now obliged to take, and one that it takes in sorrow," Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said in a statement announcing Fiji's full suspension from the grouping of 53 nations, mostly former British colonies. Fiji had... Read Full Story
Fiji will likely be suspended from the Commonwealth bloc, New Zealand said Wednesday — a day after its military ruler strengthened his grip on power by replacing the ailing president with a stronger ally. Self-appointed Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, the armed forces chief who seized power in a 2006 coup, announced President Ratu Josefa Iloilo would step down on Tuesday. He will be replaced in the interim by Vice President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, widely seen as a mentor for the ambitious... Read Full Story
Military-led Fiji announced Tuesday that its aged and ailing president will step down later this week and be replaced by a former army commander, a move observers say will consolidate the military's rule in this South Pacific nation. Self-appointed Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who took power in a bloodless 2006 coup, said President Ratu Josefa Iloilo will retire on July 30. Vice President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, a former military chief, will serve as acting president until the... Read Full Story
Fiji is entering a period of considerable uncertainty as the military moves to secure its hold on power. ISN Security Watch's Dr Dominic Moran hears two dissonant analyses of the situation. By Dominic Moran for ISN Security Watch Fiji has plunged deeper into crisis as the military under Commodore Frank Bainimarama moves to assert its control and crack down on dissent in the wake of a court ruling that its seizure of power and ongoing rule are illegitimate. The Bainimarama administration has... Read Full Story
Fiji President President Ratu Josefa Iloilo repealed the country's constitution on Friday, appointed himself head of state and set a 2014 election deadline. He said he had also sacked all the judges and established a "new legal order" following Thursday's Court of Appeal ruling that the country's military regime was illegally appointed following the 2006 coup. "I will soon be inviting suitable individuals to join or rejoin the bench under the new order," Iloilo said in an address to the... Read Full Story
Fiji's military ruler accused expatriate judges Wednesday of trying force him to call elections under an outdated voting system, while the central bank slashed the country's currency value to boost exports amid the political turmoil. Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup and launched a fresh crackdown in the past week after a court ruled his government was illegal, said his latest actions were justified and that he has the support of the people. In his first interview... Read Full Story
A court in coup-plagued Fiji declared the military government illegal Thursday and said the president should immediately appoint an interim leader to oversee a return to democracy. Military ruler Commodore Frank Bainimarama did not immediately respond to the decision but is unlikely to step down. The ruling of the Fiji Court of Appeal, the South Pacific nation's second-highest court, is certain to raise political tension in the country, which has suffered plummeting economic activity and... Read Full Story
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