5 Jun 2006

Fiji MPs and senators sworn in today

9:29 am on 5 June 2006

Members of Fiji's newly elected House of Representatives will be sworn in today.

Also sworn in will be the five remaining senators nominated by the Prime Minister as well as the 14 senators nominated by the Great Council of Chiefs and one from the Council of Rotuma.

The Labour leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, has not yet given the names of the eight opposition senators to the new opposition leader, Mick Beddoes, for forwarding to the president who makes all the appointments.

Mr Chaudhry has been quoted as saying that as the Senate will not meet till July, there is no hurry to nominate the opposition senators.

After today's swearing in, MPs will appoint a new Speaker who under Fiji's 1997 Constitution comes from outside parliament.

The ruling SDL has selected one of its MPs as the new Deputy Speaker.

The president, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, will open a new session of parliament tomorrow when he addresses a joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.