Pacific

Fiji regime revokes Council of Chiefs

12:01 pm on 14 March 2012

Fiji's military regime has abolished the Great Council of Chiefs.

The iTaukei Affairs (Great Council of Chiefs) Revocation Regulation was gazetted on Friday.

The GCC was suspended following the 2006 military coup after it refused to make the military leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama the president.

In 2008, the government introduced new regulations governing the GCC, eligibility of chiefs and the sole powers of the Minister to appoint members to the Council.

FBC News reports that regulation has now been repealed.

Commodore Bainimarama, who is also the iTaukei affairs minister, has invoked his powers under Section 5 of the iTaukei Affairs Act.

It states the Minister decides the constitution of the GCC, its powers, duties and functions.

All references to the Great Council of Chiefs or the Bose Levu Vakaturaga have been removed and substituted with iTaukei Affairs Board.