General elections were held in Fiji between 19 March and 2 April 1977.[1] As a result of a split in the ethnic Fijian vote, the ruling Alliance Party of Prime Minister Kamisese Mara suffered a narrow defeat. Although the Alliance Party received the most votes, it won only 24 seats, two fewer than the Indo-Fijian-dominated National Federation Party (NFP). One seat was won by the Fijian Nationalist Party, with the remaining seat going to an independent candidate, Osea Gavidi.
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All 52 seats in the House of Representatives 26 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Although the NFP emerged as the largest party, Governor-General George Cakobau asked Mara to form a new government, claiming that he had the support of the majority of the House. The new government remained in office until early elections in September the same year.
Around 25% of the Fijian vote went to the new Fijian Nationalist Party of Sakeasi Butadroka,[2] an extremist organisation that ran on a "Fiji for the Fijians" platform and advocated the repatriation of Indo-Fijians to India.
Three ministers – Peniame Naqasima, Josua Toganivalu and Sakiasi Waqanivavalagi – lost their seats.[3]
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
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Alliance Party | 338,523 | 46.02 | 24 | –9 | |
National Federation Party | 332,764 | 45.23 | 26 | +7 | |
Fijian Nationalist Party | 39,238 | 5.33 | 1 | New | |
Independents | 25,142 | 3.42 | 1 | +1 | |
Total | 735,667 | 100.00 | 52 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 735,667 | 93.91 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 47,690 | 6.09 | |||
Total ballots cast | 190,291 | – | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 280,784 | 67.77 | |||
Source: Nohlen et al. |
Following the elections Mara resigned as Prime Minister on 5 April and turned down offers from the NFP to participate in a coalition government.[3] It was expected that the NFP would be unable to form a government without a majority, but independent MP Osea Gavidi announced that he would support the party, giving it a two-seat majority.[3] However, Gavidi changed his mind the following day.[3]
Four days after the election, Sidiq Koya arrived at Government House expecting to be offered the opportunity to form a government. However, he was told by Governor-General Cakobau that he had reappointed Mara.[3] Cakobau then made a statement claiming that Mara had the support of the majority of MPs.[3] Pacific Islands Monthly reported that following an NFP meeting to discuss the allocation of cabinet portfolios (in which Koya only narrowly won a vote to remain leader of the party), opponents of Koya had passed a message to the Governor-General stating that they would not support him as Prime Minister.[3] Supporters of Koya subsequently blamed a faction led by NFP president Irene Jai Narayan for keeping the party out of office.[2]
In June Mara moved a motion of confidence in his government. The NFP proposed an amendment that the Governor-General should ignore any request from Mara to dissolve parliament if the motion was defeated, and instead appoint Koya as Prime Minister. House Leader Jonati Mavoa claimed that the Governor-General had no legal right to ignore such a request. The NFP amendment passed after Butadroka voted in favour. However, Cakobau dissolved parliament at the end of June,[4] with fresh elections later scheduled for September.