View source for 1999 Fijian general election

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| country = Fiji
| type = parliamentary
| previous_election = 1994 Fijian general election
| previous_year = 1994
| election_date = 8–15 May 1999
| next_election = 2001 Fijian general election
| next_year = 2001
| seats_for_election = All 71 seats in the [[House of Representatives of Fiji|House of Representatives]]
| majority_seats = 36
| image_size = 130x130px

| image1 = Mahendra Chaudhry 2015.jpg
| leader1 = {{nowrap|[[Mahendra Chaudhry]]}}
| party1 = Fiji Labour Party
| last_election1 = 7 seats
| seats1 = '''37'''
| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 30

| image2 = Adi Speed, April 1988 (cropped).jpg
| leader2 = [[Kuini Speed]]
| party2 = [[Fijian Association Party|FAP]]
| last_election2 = 5 seats
| seats2 = 10
| seat_change2 = {{increase}} 5

| image3 = Sitiveni Rabuka 2020.jpg
| leader3 = [[Sitiveni Rabuka]]
| party3 = Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei
| last_election3 = 31 seats
| seats3 = 8
| seat_change3 = {{decrease}} 23

| image4 = 3x4.svg
| leader4 = [[Sairusi Nagagavoka]]
| party4 = [[Party of National Unity (Fiji)|PNU]]
| last_election4 = —
| seats4 = 4
| seat_change4 = ''New''

| image5 = {{center|{{Election image filler|Christian Democratic Alliance (Fiji)|VLV}}}}
| leader5 = [[Josaia Rayawa]]
| party5 = Christian Democratic Alliance (Fiji)
| last_election5 = —
| seats5 = 3
| seat_change5 = ''New''

| image6 = {{center|{{Election image filler|Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party|NVTLP}}}}
| leader6 = [[Iliesa Duvuloco]]
| party6 = Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party
| last_election6 = —
| seats6 = 2
| seat_change6 = ''New''

| title = [[Prime Minister of Fiji|Prime Minister]]
| before_election = [[Sitiveni Rabuka]]
| before_party = Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei
| after_election = [[Mahendra Chaudhry]]
| after_party = Fiji Labour Party
}}{{Politics of Fiji}}

General elections were held in [[Fiji]] between 8 and 15 May 1999.<ref>[[Dieter Nohlen]], Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II'', p653 {{ISBN|0-19-924959-8}}</ref> They were the first election held under the revised [[1997 Constitution of Fiji|Constitution]] of 1997, which instituted [[Electoral system of Fiji|a new electoral system]] and resulted in [[Mahendra Chaudhry]] taking office as Fiji's first [[Indians in Fiji|Indo-Fijian]] [[Prime Minister of Fiji|Prime Minister]], following a [[landslide victory]] for the [[Fiji Labour Party]]. It was also a [[wipeout loss]] for the incumbent [[Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei]] (SVT) government of [[Sitiveni Rabuka]], which lost all but eight seats and won less seats than the [[Fijian Association Party]] (FAP).

==Opinion polls==
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
! rowspan="2" | Pollster(s)
! rowspan="2" | Date
! rowspan="2" | Sample size
! colspan="2" | [[Sitiveni Rabuka|Rabuka]]
! colspan="2" | [[Mahendra Chaudhry|Chaudhry]]
|-
! Satisfied
! Dissatisfied
! Satisfied
! Dissatisfied
|-
| ''[[The Fiji Times]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://researchsociety.com.au/documents/version/166 |title=Historical popularity poll data released-Sydney|website=researchsociety.com.au|access-date=9 April 2023|date=12 September 2011}}</ref>
| 1996
|
| 23%
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
|}

==Results==
Mahendra Chaudhry's [[Fiji Labour Party]] won all 19 Indo-Fijian seats, annihilating the [[National Federation Party]] which had traditionally been Fiji's dominant Indo-Fijian party; Indo-Fijian voters were angered by the NFP's decision to enter into an electoral coalition agreement with the [[Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei]] of Prime Minister [[Sitiveni Rabuka]], whom they had not forgiven for leading the [[1987 Fijian coups d'état|military coup]] that removed an Indo-Fijian dominated government from power in 1987.  In addition to the 19 Indo-Fijian seats, the Labour Party won 18 of the 25 "open electorates" for a total of 37 - an absolute majority in the 71-member House.  

The [[Fijian Association Party]], led by [[Kuini Speed|Adi Kuini Speed]] (the widow of former Prime Minister [[Timoci Bavadra]]), won 11 seats (10 ethnic Fijian and 1 open) against only 8 seats (5 ethnic Fijian and 3 open) for the Fijian Political Party, which had ruled the country since 1992.  The [[Christian Democratic Alliance (Fiji)|Christian Democratic Alliance]] won 3 seats (2 ethnic Fijian and one open), while [[Apisai Tora|Apisai Tora's]] [[Party of National Unity (Fiji)|Party of National Unity]] won four ethnic Fijian seats.  The [[United Peoples Party (Fiji)|United General Party]] won one "general" and one open electorate.  The remaining six seats (two ethnic Fijian, two "general electorates," one Rotuman, and one open) were won by minor parties and independents.

{{Election results
|firstround=Open constituencies|secondround=Communal constituencies
|party1=[[Fiji Labour Party]]|votes1=119779|seats1=18|votes1_2=112167|seats1_2=19|totseats1=37|sc1=
|party2=[[Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei]]|votes2=75063|seats2=3|votes2_2=68114|seats2_2=5|totseats2=8|sc2=
|party3=[[National Federation Party]]|votes3=51870|seats3=0|votes3_2=53115|seats3_2=0|totseats3=0|sc3=
|party4=[[Fijian Association Party]]|votes4=38863|seats4=1|votes4_2=34044|seats4_2=9|totseats4=10|sc4=
|party5=[[Christian Democratic Alliance (Fiji)|Christian Democratic Alliance]]|votes5=35395|seats5=0|votes5_2=34758|seats5_2=3|totseats5=3|sc5=
|party6=[[Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party]]|votes6=15234|seats6=1|votes6_2=16353|seats6_2=1|totseats6=2|sc6=
|party7=[[Party of National Unity (Fiji)|Party of National Unity]]|votes7=11672|seats7=0|votes7_2=17302|seats7_2=4|totseats7=4|sc7=
|party8=[[United Peoples Party (Fiji)|United General Party]]|votes8=4732|seats8=1|votes8_2=5412|seats8_2=1|totseats8=2|sc8=
|party9=United National Labour Party|votes9=1985|seats9=0|votes9_2=1978|seats9_2=0|totseats9=0|sc9=
|party10=[[Natural Law Party]]|votes10=109|seats10=0|totseats10=0|sc10=
|party11=[[Coalition of Independent Nationals]]|votes11=65|seats11=0|votes11_2=2340|seats11_2=0|totseats11=0|sc11=
|party12=[[Lio 'On Famör Rotuma Party]]|votes12_2=1982|seats12_2=0|totseats12=0|sc12=
|party13=Party of the Truth|votes13_2=234|seats13_2=0|totseats13=0|sc13=
|party14=Farmers and General Workers Coalition Party|votes14_2=197|seats14_2=0|totseats14=0|sc14=
|party15=Viti Levu Dynamic Multiracial Democratic Party|votes15_2=124|seats15_2=0|totseats15=0|sc15=
|party16=Nationalist Democratic Party|votes16_2=13|seats16_2=0|totseats16=0|sc16=
|party17=Independents|votes17=5323|seats17=1|votes17_2=12059|seats17_2=4|totseats17=5|sc17=
|invalid=36639|invalid2=38879
|electorate=434658|electorate2=431566
|source=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070830235437/http://www.elections.gov.fj/results1999.html Elections Office], [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/f/fiji/fiji1999index.shtml Psephos], Nohlen ''et al''.
}}

==Aftermath==
Many ethnic Fijians were unwilling to accept the result of the election, which was partly because their own votes had been so fragmented while those of Indo-Fijians had been much more united. [[President of Fiji|President]] and "father of the nation" [[Kamisese Mara|Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara]] worked behind the scenes, however, to persuade the main ethnic Fijian parties in parliament to accept Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry as Prime Minister.  To appease ethnic Fijians, Chaudhry gave 11 of the 18 [[Cabinet of Fiji|Cabinet]] posts to native Fijian politicians. Following the power-sharing provisions of the Constitution, the Cabinet was composed of members of numerous political parties.

Not all ethnic Fijians were appeased, however. Simmering resentment exploded on 19 May 2000, when [[George Speight]] stormed the parliament buildings and kidnapped most members of the government, including Chaudhry in a [[2000 Fijian coup d'état|coup]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/f/fiji/fiji1999index.shtml Constituency results] Psephos

{{Fijian elections}}

[[Category:Elections in Fiji]]
[[Category:1999 in Fiji|General]]
[[Category:1999 elections in Oceania|Fiji]]
[[Category:May 1999 in Oceania|Fiji]]