Sitiveni Rabuka

Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka (born 13 September 1948) is a Fijian politician, former soldier and former sportsman who has served as Prime Minister of Fiji since 24 December 2022.

Rabuka was trained initially in New Zealand army schools, from which he graduated in 1973, and completed a professional development course at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

He represented Fiji in shot put, hammer throw, discus and the decathlon at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games and has also represented Fiji national rugby union team in the 1970's.

He did postgraduate work at the Indian Defence Services Staff College in 1979, and at the Australian Joint Services Staff College in 1982.

He was a senior operation plans manager for UNIFIL peacekeeping troops in Lebanon in 1980 and 1981.

On his return home, he was appointed Army Chief of Staff.

For his service in Lebanon, Rabuka was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1980, and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1981 Birthday Honours List.

From 1982 to 1987, he was an operations and training officer for the Fijian army, except for a two-year absence (1983–1985) when he commanded the Fijian Battalion as part of the Multinational Force and Observers peacekeeping force in the Sinai.

He was the instigator of two military coups in 1987.

Rabuka, by now a colonel, emerged suddenly from obscurity on 14 May 1987 when he staged the first of two military coups to reassert ethnic Fijian supremacy, following the 1987 election, which had brought an Indo-Fijian (ethnic Indian)-dominated government to power.

Deposing the elected government, he handed power over to the governor-general, Penaia Ganilau, a high chief whom he expected to implement ethnic Fijian interests.

When, however, Ganilau attempted to reinstate the abrogated constitution, Rabuka carried out a second coup on 28 September that year.

At first he pledged his allegiance to the Queen, but on 7 October he issued a decree (Declaration – Republic of Fiji Decree 1987 No. 8) proclaiming a republic, abolishing the 113-year link to the British Monarchy.

He handed over power on 5 December to an interim administration, headed by Ganilau as President and Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara as Prime Minister, but remained Commander of the Army and Minister of Home Affairs, the National Youth Service, and the Auxiliary Army Service.

Ganilau and Mara did not feel strong enough to dismiss Rabuka, but the public support they enjoyed as high chiefs was such that he did not feel strong enough to depose them.

An uneasy truce existed between Ganilau and Mara on the one hand and Rabuka on the other.

Rabuka was seen as a hero by the Indigenous members when he overthrew Fiji's first Indian government to install an indigenous Fijian ruling class.

During the time of the coup, Rabuka was sometimes referred to in the press as "Colonel Steve Rambo."

Following the adoption in 1990 of a new constitution that guaranteed ethnic Fijian domination of the political system, Rabuka was chosen to lead the newly formed Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei in 1991.

In April 1991 Rabuka resigned as commander of the armed forces in order join the cabinet of Kamisese Mara as one of the Deputy Prime Ministers.

He was democratically elected as Prime Minister of Fiji, serving from 1992 to 1999, and again in 2022, leading a three-party coalition.

This party won the parliamentary election of 1992 and Rabuka became Prime Minister.

His government was weakened from the outset, however, by a leadership challenge by former Finance Minister Josefata Kamikamica.

In 1994, Kamikamica left the party with five of his supporters, depriving Rabuka of a parliamentary majority.

A parliamentary election to resolve the impasse was held three years early; the Fijian Political Party won a plurality but fell two seats short of an absolute majority in the 70-member House of Representatives.

Rabuka formed a coalition with the small General Voters Party, a small party supported almost entirely by general electors, who comprised Europeans, Chinese, and other minorities.

He also agreed to negotiate with moderate leaders of the Indo-Fijian community to draft a controversial new Constitution, which removed most of the provisions that had biased the political system in favour of indigenous Fijians.

He also served as Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs from 1999 to 2001, and later as Chairman of the Cakaudrove Provincial Council from 2001 to 2008.

The elections of 1999 were the first in many years to see real competition between ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians for power.

Rabuka lost these elections, and was replaced by Mahendra Chaudhry, the first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister.

In 2006, Rabuka finally apologised for having executed the coups.

Fiji Live reported on 28 March that Rabuka had told India's Ahmedabad Newsline, while visiting India for medical treatment, that he regretted his role in the coups, which he described as "democratically wrong."

Rabuka was elected as leader of the Social Democratic Liberal Party in 2016, succeeding Leader of the Opposition Ro Teimumu Kepa, who publicly disapproved of Rabuka's nomination to replace her.

He was appointed as the leader of the Opposition to Parliament in 2018, following the 2018 election defeat.

He was the only nomination for the position, and his nomination was moved by Ro Teimumu Kepa and seconded by Biman Prasad.

He was ousted as SODELPA leader by Viliame Gavoka in a leadership contest.

Rabuka resigned from parliament in 2020, citing that he would no longer be an obstacle to the bipartisan approach to be taken by the leaders of Fiji to create harmony and progress, and unity in Fiji.

He formed a new political party in 2020, named Peoples Alliance, to contest the 2022 election.

The son of Kolinio Epeli Vanuacicila Rabuka and Salote Lomaloma Rabuka, he comes from the village of Drekeniwai on Vanua Levu, one of Fiji's two major islands.

He was educated at Queen Victoria School, where he became the head boy in his final year.