House of Representatives of Fiji
The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation (the Senate, by contrast, can amend or veto most legislation, but cannot initiate it). The House of Representatives also has complete jurisdiction over financial bills; these do not need Senatorial approval. Last but not least, the Prime Minister and Cabinet must retain the confidence of a majority of the House of Representatives in order to remain in office.
The House of Representatives has 71 members, all of whom are elected for five-year terms to represent single-member constituencies. Of these, 25 are elected by universal suffrage from "open electorates" ("open" meaning that the franchise is open to all locally resident Fijian citizens, irrespective of their ethnic background). The remaining 46 are elected on separate communal rolls for the ethnic Fijian, Indo-Fijian, and Rotuman communities, with a fourth roll for "General Electors" (Europeans, Chinese, and other minorities). 23 communal seats in the House of Representatives are reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 for Indo-Fijians, 1 for Rotuman Islanders, and 3 for "General Electors". Every Fijian citizen eligible to vote thus has two votes - one for an open electorate, and one for a communal electorate.
At its first session following a general election, the House of Representatives elects a List of Speakers of the House of Representatives (Fiji) and a List of Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives (Fiji). With a view to ensuring impartiality, the Speaker is not allowed to be a member of the House, though he must qualify for membership. The Deputy Speaker, however, is elected from among members of the House.
The current composition of the House of Representatives is as follows:
Open Electorates
Communal Electorates (Fijian)
Note: As of February 19, 2004) one Communal Fijian electorate is vacant.
Communal Electorates (Indo-Fijian)
Note: As of February 19, 2004, three Communal Indo-Fijian electorates are vacant.
Communal Electorate (Rotuman)
| Electorate | Member of Parliament | Political Party |
| Rotuma | Marieta Rigamoto | Independent |
Communal Electorates (General Electors)
| Electorate | Member of Parliament | Political Party |
| North Eastern | David Ariu Christopher | United Fiji Party |
| Suva City | Kenneth Vincent Zinck | New Labour Unity Party |
| West Central | Millis M. Beddoes | United General Party (Fiji) |