NFP: Dawn of a new era
The NFP argued that the 2013 Constitution's amendment rules requiring a three-quarters partiamentary majority and three-quar ters of voters in a referendum were designed to make changes nearly impossible.
Saturday 30 August 2025 | 12:00
National Federation Party (NFP) leader Biman Prasad has declared the "legacy of dictatorship" is finally consigned to history following Friday's Supreme Court opinion on constitutional amendment procedures.
Mr Prasad said the opinion returned genuine democratic control to Fiji's people over their supreme law, ending what he called the authoritarian legacy of former leaders Vorege Bainimarama and Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
"This is a day for our citizens to celebrate and to begin the process of rebuilding our law and governance, finally consigning to history the legacy of dictatorship and disrespect of Bainimarama and Sayed-Khaiyum," Mr Prasad said.
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He described the court's opinion as "just" and said it paved the way for comprehensive constitutional reform.
"Now, we can move to the next phase - to begin a full national dialogue into the constitution we all want, with a fully representative constitutional review commission where all our people are heard and their views respected," he said.
The NFP argued that the 2013 Constitution's amendment rules requiring a three-quarters partiamentary majority and three-quarters of voters in a referendum were designed to make changes nearly impossible.
The party had initially supported a two-thirds parliamentary threshold but found the existing requirements unachievable.
The party welcomed the State's argument that requiring both supermajorities was unconstitutional, with NFP representative Jon Apted telling the court that referendums had never been part of Fiji's constitutional processes before 2013.
"We have yet to take legal advice on the full legal implications of the case. However, we believe the outcome is a just one," Mr Prasad said.
