Alliance Party

The Alliance Party, was the ruling political party in Fiji from 1966 to 1987. Founded in the early 1960s, its leader was Kamisese Mara, the founding father of the modern Fijian nation. Widely seen as the political vehicle of the traditional Fijian chiefs, the Alliance Party also commanded considerable support among the Europeans and other ethnic minorities, who, although comprising only 3–4% of Fiji's population, were over represented in the parliament (with a third of the seats before 1973, and a sixth thereafter, allocated to them). Indo-Fijians were less supportive, but the Fijian-European block vote kept the Alliance Party in power for more than twenty years. Formation of the Alliance Party The formation of the Alliance Party was the direct result of the call, in November 1965, by the Governor, Sir Derek Jakeway, "for leaders of imagination, who have the interests of all the people of Fiji truly at heart, to build political alliances with the object of contesting elections on a common racial platform and then, if they win a majority of seats, forming a broad based administration which will be effectively self-governing". In 1965, there already existed in Fiji political organisations which represented various interest groups (but no other political party like the Federation Party). These were the Fijian Association, which was formed in 1956 to "counter the Indian demand for political reform", the National Congress of Fiji formed by Indians opposed to the Federation Party, the General Electors Association representing the Europeans and Part-Europeans, the Suva Rotuman Association, the Rotuman Convention, the Chinese Association, the All-Fiji Muslim Political Front, the Fiji Minority Party and the Tongan Organization. On 12 March 1966, all these organisations came together under the leadership of Kamisese Mara to form the Alliance Party. 1966 general election When the 1966 general election was held, the Alliance Party had been in existence for only six months, consequently there was little co-ordination of activities between its affiliated organisations. Candidate selection was not streamlined and in four Fijian communal constituencies, the Fijian Association allowed its own members to stand against the Alliance endorsed candidates. Some candidates for the Indian communal constituencies stood in the election under the National Congress of Fiji banner.