Who was the Prime Minister of Fiji in 2010?

Answer 1

Commodore Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama was the Prime Minister of Fiji in 2010. He is also the Commander of the Military Forces of Fiji.

Bainimarama first came to power late in the 2000 Fiji coup d'etat, after president Kamisese Mara resigned. Protesters had taken control of the government, taking representatives including the Prime Minister hostage. President Mara subsequently dismissed the government and claimed temporary executive powers. After Mara's resignation, Bainimarama declared martial law, appointing himself acting president on 2000 May 30. He continued as acting president until July 10, when Josefa Iloilo became the next president and the crisis was eventually resolved. Despite his age in 2006, (85 years old) Iloilo would eventually be re-elected to another 5-year term by the Great Council of Chiefs.

Bainimarama continued to be involved in politics, frequently overstepping his bounds as a military commander, and commenting publicly on political decisions. Further, many people wanted to assign blame in the 2000 coup, and some focused on the military. As a result, the military made nine demands on the government to fulfill or a demand for their resignation. As a result, Iloilo attempted to remove Bainimarama from his post; the military command structure did not obey, and instead launched a coup d'etat. Bainimarama would again become acting president from 2006 December 5 to 2007 January 4. Iloilo was again reappointed as President, but with Bainimarama as Prime Minister and many opposing ministers dismissed entirely.

Critics have condemned this as a 'Bainimarama Republic'. Media censorship under Bainimarama has increased since the 2006 coup, with newspapers, TV and radio temporarily shut down during the coup, although reopened with heavy monitoring. Although a new president has been appointed since Iloilo's death in 2009, the government is now effectively controlled by the military.