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Laisenia Qarase

Laisenia Qarase
image:laiseniaqarase.jpg
Order (Prime Minister): 6th Prime Minister
Term of Office
(Prime Minister):
(1st time) July 4, 2000 - March 14, 2001
(2nd time) March 16, 2001 - present
Followed: (1st time) military administration
(2nd time) Ratu Tevita Momoedonu
Succeeded by:
(1st time) Ratu Tevita Momoedonu (March 14 2001)
(2nd time) n.a. (still in office as of 2004)
Date of Birth February 4, 1941
Occupation: merchant banker
Political Party: United Fiji Party


Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) is the Prime Minister of Fiji. A banker by profession, Qarase first managed the Fiji Development Bank , then in 1998 became head of the Fiji Merchant Bank . In 1999 he became a Senator, and a leader of the opposition to Mahendra Chaudhry's government. Qarase was appointed Prime Minister on July 4 2000, after the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry was quashed by the military.

Qarase has remained Prime Minister since, except for a period of two days (14-16 March 2001), when he temporarily vacated the office to meet a constitutional technicality; the Supreme Court of Fiji had ruled that his government was unconstitutional and that Mahendra Chaudhry remained the rightful Prime Minister. In a series of moves that legal experts have considered to be of doubtful constitutionality, Qarase resigned on March 14, in favour of Ratu Tevita Momoedonu (who had been a Minister in the Chaudhry Cabinet, so that Momoedonu could advise President Josefa Iloilo to dissolve the Parliament and call an early general election. As soon as this technicality had been attended to, Qarase resumed the Prime Ministership. He was subsequently confirmed in office when he led his newly formed United Fiji Party to victory in the election held to restore democracy in 2001.

As Prime Minister, Qarase has proved popular with business leaders, who appreciate his steps to liberalize the economy and boost tourism, the main source of foreign exchange. He faces challenges on numerous fronts, however. Less than one percent of the Indo-Fijian population voted for his party in 2001, with a further 22 percent voting for the National Federation Party, which was loosely allied to his party. Recent byelections and local government elections show that his support in the Indo-Fijian community has increased, but only marginally. Almost 75 percent of Indo-Fijian voters supported Chaudhry's Fiji Labour Party, which Qarase has refused to include in his Cabinet, despite its winning of 28 seats, more than three times the number stipulated by the Constitution for representation in a multi-party cabinet. On 18 July 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that the exclusion of the Labour Party was in breach of the Constitution, and demanded that the situation be rectified. Subsequent appeals, counter-appeals, and negotiations stalled the appointment of Labour Party ministers, however. In June 2004, the Supreme Court that the Labour Party was entitled to 14 out of 30 cabinet posts. Qarase announced that he would respect the ruling and implement it. His refusal to include Chaudhry himself in any cabinet, however, continued to stall the ensuing negotiations about the composition of the cabinet, until the Labour Party announce late in 2004 that it was no longer interested in joining the cabinet.

Another challenge for Qarase is the conviction of persons responsible for their part in the 2000 coup. On 6 August 2004, Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ratu Rakuita Vakalalabure , were found guilty of treason and were given prison sentences of four and six years, respectively. Both are stalwarts of the Conservative Alliance, a coalition partner in Qarase's government. Anxious not to lose the six votes of that party, on which he relies for his parliamentary majority, Qarase declared that he was "dismayed by the severity of the sentences" that had been handed down. His government indicated, however, that it would not interfere with the process of law.

Several others convicted with Seniloli and Vakalalabure have close ties to the military and police forces, and fears persist that to move against them could be unsafe. Qarase has tried to avoid dealing with the matter by leaving it entirely up to the police. Opponents charge that this merely allows the police - several of whose past senior officers were themselves implicated in the coup - to be selective in their prosecutions. As of September 2004, the situation is far from resolved.

A native of the Lau Islands in the eastern part of Fiji, Qarase has Fijian, Tongan, and Jewish ancestors. He freely admits that his Jewish heritage, coupled with his strong Christian faith, is a factor in his deep sympathy for Israel. On his orders, all United Nations votes involving Israel must be referred to him personally for approval.

Last updated: 05-07-2005 08:25:18
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04