Electoral Systems in Pacific and Other Small Islands

This chapter explains about a certain kind of rule systems, namely, electoral systems, and about a certain kind of influencing factors, namely, cultural heritages. Although much can certainly be in favor of such definitions, a different conception will be used, which stresses the political participation and a free political competition; in this conception, then, elections and the shaping of the electoral systems become crucial issues. Constitutional reforms have been introduced to exclude Fiji Indians as a group from any meaningful share of power, and the electoral system of Fiji is nowadays clearly biased in terms of openness and correctness. In 1990 a new constitution was adopted, which reconstructed the electoral system in a way which guaranteed the native Fijians a majority of the seats in the house of the representatives. The present Fijian electoral system is indeed a unique construction.