World · Fiji · Local power worldwide

Who runs local government in Fiji?

Fiji has two parallel local systems: 13 town and city councils for urban areas, and a separate iTaukei (indigenous Fijian) administration of provinces, districts and villages linked to chiefs. Municipal councils have had no elected councillors since 2009 and are run by special administrators appointed by the minister; the last council elections were in 2005. Elections planned for September 2026 were deferred.

Republic of Fiji · Unitary parliamentary republic · Oceania

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
Divisions (4)	Commissioners and district officers, civil servants	Central government administration and development coordination.
Municipal councils (2 cities: Suva, Lautoka; 11 towns)	Special administrators appointed by the Minister for Local Government since 2009; law allows elected councillors	Urban services, rates, markets, town planning, by-laws approved by the minister.
iTaukei provincial councils (14) and Rotuma Island Council	Members elected or nominated by iTaukei registered in the province; chaired by a chief; Roko Tui (provincial administrator) appointed	iTaukei community affairs, development and links to the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs.
Tikina (districts) and koro (villages)	Each village (koro) nominates a turaga ni koro (village headman)	Village order, development and liaison with government.

Three questions about local power in Fiji

Are local leaders elected?

No municipal councillors are currently elected. Provincial council members are partly chosen by iTaukei villagers. Chiefs inherit or are installed by custom.

Which laws set up local government?

Municipalities rest on the Local Government Act 1972, which is not mentioned in the Constitution. The iTaukei system rests on the iTaukei Affairs Act. Many chiefly powers work through custom and land ownership.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

Special administrators answer to the Minister for Local Government, who can appoint, suspend and dissolve councils and must approve their by-laws. iTaukei bodies answer to the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs and to customary leaders.

Traditional and customary authority

Chiefs (turaga) lead iTaukei clans and confederacies and guide their people on the vanua (land and people) and mataqali (clan) rights. The Constitution protects iTaukei ownership of customary land, which covers most of Fiji's land and is leased through the iTaukei Land Trust Board. The Great Council of Chiefs, abolished in 2012, was re-established by the government in 2023. Chiefs have strong influence over land, ceremony and village life, while Methodist and other churches are also influential.

Community and neighbourhood power

In villages, the turaga ni koro and village meetings organise communal work, rules on behaviour and fundraising. Indo-Fijian and urban communities rely more on advisory councils, religious and cultural associations, and settlement committees, which have no legal powers.

Points to know

In 2019–20 local government spending was only 0.8% of total government spending.
The 2026 plan would have elected 141 councillors across 13 councils by first-past-the-post, under the Electoral (Local Government Elections) Regulations 2025.
Rotuma, a Polynesian island, has its own island council.
Municipal councils were first created in Fiji in 1877.

Local terms

iTaukei: Indigenous Fijians.
Turaga ni koro: Village headman who links the village with government.
Mataqali: A clan, the main land-owning unit.
Vanua: The land and its people, a chiefly territory.

Sources

Constitution of Fiji 2013 (English text), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
The Local Government System in Fiji: Country Profile 2019, Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), checked 14 October 2026
Fiji local government elections 2026: restoring grassroots democracy (13 May 2026), Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), checked 14 October 2026
Parliament of the Republic of Fiji, Parliament of Fiji, checked 14 October 2026