29 Facts About Josefa Iloilo

Josefa Iloilo held the traditional title of Tui Vuda, the paramount chief of the Vuda district in Ba Province on Fiji's northwest coast.

Josefa Iloilo announced on 28 July 2009 that he would be leaving office on 30 July.

Josefa Iloilo endorsed Bainimarama's coup on the same day, in his first public address since the coup.

Josefa Iloilo appointed Bainimarama as Prime Minister the following day.

Josefa Iloilo claimed to have the "full support" of the security forces and directed the military to take "all reasonable steps" to maintain law and order.

Josefa Iloilo worked as a school teacher from 1939 to 1968 and civil service administrator, which he introduced the Boy Scouts Movement to the country, establishing scout troops on the Fijian islands.

Josefa Iloilo later became a member of the House of Representatives.

Josefa Iloilo subsequently served as a Senator in the 1990s, and was President of the Senate prior to his becoming Vice-President of Fiji on 18 January 1999.

Josefa Iloilo was in this position under President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara in 1999 and 2000, when Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry's government was overthrown by Fijian nationalists led by George Speight in the Fiji coup of 2000.

Josefa Iloilo was sworn in as President on 13 July 2000, but legal experts consider that he was constitutionally the President as of 29 May, the date on which Ratu Mara had been removed from office by the military, and to which his resignation in December that year had been backdated.

Josefa Iloilo refused to intervene directly in the disputes among politicians, but quietly reached out to disaffected factions, including the Indo-Fijian community.

On 20 June 2005, the Fiji Times reported that "a reliable source" close to the government had accused Josefa Iloilo of refusing to discipline Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, for his public criticism of government policies.

The source said that the President's refusal to act was making the Home Affairs Minister look foolish and incompetent, and suggested that Josefa Iloilo was not following the Constitution.

Josefa Iloilo's speech welcomed the public debate, saying that reconciliation was "a difficult but necessary process", and it called on parliamentarians to uphold the law.

Josefa Iloilo recalled warnings from Fiji's first modern statesman, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, that the chiefs risked becoming an irrelevance if they did not take their leadership role seriously and prove that they had the qualifications and authority that their ancestors had possessed.

Josefa Iloilo declared chiefs could only be sure of their people continuing to follow them as long as they appreciated that chiefly authority was better than anyone else's.

Josefa Iloilo was a lay-preacher for many years, and was Vice-President of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma in 1997 and 1998.

Josefa Iloilo delivered the opening address at Fiji's National Day of Prayer on 15 May 2005.

Josefa Iloilo called on Fijians to seek God's wisdom to find the way forward for the nation, and said he considered prayer to be "as important to our nation as breath is to our lives".

The family member said that Josefa Iloilo had already hinted of his plans during a speech at the 2005 Fiji Business Excellence Awards in Nadi, in which he said it might be his last official function.

On 2 February 2006 the office of the Great Council of Chiefs announced that Josefa Iloilo had indicated his willingness to serve for another term.

Josefa Iloilo celebrated his 85th birthday at Lautoka's First Landing Resort on 29 December 2005.

Josefa Iloilo endorsed Bainimarama's coup on the same day, in his first public address since the coup.

The Court of Appeal ruled on 9 April 2009 that Bainimarama's government was illegal; the court ruled that Josefa Iloilo should appoint a new Prime Minister, while specifically excluding both Bainimarama and Qarase.

Josefa Iloilo said that he would soon appoint a new interim government and that a new election would be held by September 2014.

Josefa Iloilo subsequently re-appointed Prime Minister Bainimarama, with a mandate to pursue his reforms and bring about democratic elections no later than 2014.

Interim Prime Minister Bainimarama announced on 28 July 2009, that President Josefa Iloilo had informed him that afternoon of his intention to retire from office on 30 July.

Josefa Iloilo, was at the time of his retirement as the President of Fiji 88 years old and there had for a long time been speculation about the state of his health.

Josefa Iloilo suffered from Parkinson's disease and during his presidency required regular medical treatment in Australia.