Page 53 - Melanesia

2009 - Pacific leaders demand Fiji hold elec- hearing. Fiji authorities admit to losing legal
tions by the end of the year. Constitution document confirming independence from
repealed Appeal Court rules the military the United Kingdom.
regime was illegally appointed after the 2006
coup and says a caretaker prime minister 2013 - New constitution introduced, paving
should be appointed to call elections to re- the way for elections.
store democracy. President Iloilo repeals the
constitution, appoints himself head of state, 2014 - Forty five Fijian peacekeepers are
sets a 2014 election deadline and sacks all held hostage for more than two weeks by
the judges. He then reappoints military chief Islamist militants in the Golan Heights in
Frank Bainimarama as interim prime min- Syria. Frank Bainimarama becomes the
ister. Martial law is imposed. South Pacific country’s civilian leader after winning
nations suspend Fiji from the Pacific Islands parliamentary elections. Commonwealth
Forum regional bloc for its failure to hold re-instates Fiji as a full member.
elections. Military ruler Frank Bainimarama
unveils plans for a new constitution by 2013,
ahead of elections in 2014. He says that un-
der the proposed changes, the ethnic-based
system introduced in 1997 will be scrapped.
The Commonwealth fully suspends Fiji after
the refusal of the military government to
bow to demands to call elections by 2010.
It is only the second full suspension in the
organisation’s history.

2010 - A court jails eight men for attempt-
ing to kill Commodore Bainimarama in
2007. Critics say the eight did not have a fair