Tevita Momoedonu facts for kids

Ratu Tevita Momoedonu (born 13 January 1946 – died 26 November 2020) was a politician from Fiji. He served as the fifth Prime Minister of Fiji two times. Each time, his term was very short.

Both times, he was appointed to help with special legal situations. His first time as Prime Minister on 27 May 2000 lasted only a few minutes. His second time, from 14 to 16 March 2001, lasted for two days. Later, he became Fiji's Ambassador to Japan.

First Time as Prime Minister

In 1999, Momoedonu was chosen to be a member of the House of Representatives. He was part of the Fiji Labour Party. After that, he joined the government's Cabinet.

On 19 May 2000, a difficult political event happened. A man named George Speight took over the Parliament building. He held the Prime Minister and other government members hostage. Momoedonu was the only minister not in the building at that time.

The President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, wanted to take special powers to handle the situation. But the rules said the President could only act if the Prime Minister advised him. Since Prime Minister Chaudhry was held captive, he could not give advice.

So, on 27 May, President Mara removed Chaudhry and made Momoedonu the new Prime Minister. This was so Momoedonu could "advise" him to stop Parliament and use emergency powers. As soon as Momoedonu gave this advice, he quickly resigned. The whole process took only a few minutes.

Temporary Minister and Second Appointment

After the political event, Momoedonu worked as a temporary Minister for Labour and Industrial Relations. He served in this role until September 2001.

Momoedonu became Prime Minister for the second time on 14 March 2001. This happened after a court decision said that the temporary government was not allowed by the rules. The court said the old government should be brought back.

President Mara then officially resigned to help the country avoid more problems. The court decision also seemed to mean that Mahendra Chaudhry should be Prime Minister again. But President Iloilo disagreed. He said that Chaudhry no longer had enough support in Parliament.

President Iloilo wanted to hold new elections for the country's leaders. But he could not call an early election without advice from the Prime Minister. He knew Chaudhry would not give this advice. So, he appointed Momoedonu.

Some people thought this was because Momoedonu was President Iloilo's nephew. Even though his time as Prime Minister was short, it meant he would receive a special payment for life.

Momoedonu then formally advised President Iloilo to end Parliament and call a general election. After doing this, Momoedonu resigned the next day. This allowed Laisenia Qarase to become Prime Minister again.

Ambassador to Japan

In 2002, Momoedonu was chosen to be Fiji's Ambassador to Japan. He officially presented his papers to Emperor Akihito on 7 October that year. His time as Ambassador ended in March 2006, and he returned to Fiji.

Later Life

After returning to Fiji, Momoedonu became involved in private business. He served as the Chairman of Ba Provincial Holdings, Ltd..

See also

In Spanish: Tevita Momoedonu para niños