In April 2009, Fiji underwent a constitutional crisis when the Court of Appeal ruled that the 2006 Fijian coup d'état had been illegal.
The Court dismissed the Interim Cabinet led by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama that had governed Fiji since the coup.
[2] The Court of Appeals ordered President Iloilo to appoint a "distinguished person" to act as a caretaker Prime Minister and oversee the dissolution of parliament.
[2] President Iloilo issued a statement the following day saying, "I hereby confirm I have abrogated the 1997 constitution and appointed myself as head of state in the new order."
[7] In a 17 April speech to civil servants Bainimarama announced that his government was not an interim one and that elections would not be held before 2014: "A new Legal Order means there is no longer the old.
Several Methodist Church leaders and a village high chief who was providing space for the meeting were arrested and released on condition that they not appear in public.
[16][17] On 31 July, President Iloilo, 88 years old and thought to be ill, retired after having served since 2000 through all the coups, except for one month in 2006 when Bainimarama gave himself Presidential powers.
[25] In a move claimed to be aimed at cutting public corruption, Bainimarama announced "As a first up, from next week, all government vehicles being driven after hours will need to carry permits."
)[28] Reports indicated that as part of the Emergency Regulation "a Ministry of Information officer and a plain-clothed policeman would be stationed in every newsroom".
[29] The Permanent Secretary of the Department of Information explained the policy, saying that media are to "refrain from publishing and broadcasting any news item that is negative in nature, relating to the assumption of executive authority on 10 April...and the subsequent appointments..."[30] Immediately after the decree as a form of protest, Fiji One TV did not run its evening news program and the Fiji Times went to press with large blank spaces where censored articles were removed.
[32] The Fiji Daily Post mocked the restrictions, publishing stories under "Man gets on bus"[33] and "Breakfast as usual".
[34][35] On 13 April two of the last remaining foreign journalists in Fiji were called to Government House by the Ministry of Information.
ABC Pacific Correspondent Sean Dorney was asked to voluntarily leave Fiji—which he refused citing his valid visa—and TV3 reporter Sia Aston's footage was confiscated by Fijian authorities.
[38] Fijian Military spokesman Neumi Leweni stated that foreign journalists were welcome in Fiji, but must first apply and that "the invitation is decidedly conditional.
"[37] However, during an interview with Radio New Zealand, Bainimarama said it was not necessary for their reporter to visit Fiji: "You just ask me the questions, I will give you the answers.
[42] The announcement followed the detention of journalist Pita Ligaiula, a writer for Pacnews and correspondent for the Australian Associated Press, who was arrested by two police officers and an official for the Ministry of Information on 15 April 2009.
[43] Matai Akauola, of the Pacific Islands News Association, reported that one of Ligaiula's bylines may have violated Fiji's current media restrictions.
[43] Pacnews has announced that it has no plans to relocate from its headquarters in Suva, Fiji, to another country due to the restrictions on reporting Fijian domestic news.
[50] New Zealand's Foreign Minister referred to the situation as "a sorry recipe that has been tried by dictators in a number of other countries, always with tragic consequences.
"[51] New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said that "the reality is that unless there is some miraculous turn around of events, Fiji is going to be suspended by the [Pacific Islands] forum in roughly two weeks," and that he would back immediate action.
The members of the Security Council express hopes that Fiji will make a steadfast advancement towards democracy and that fair elections will be held as soon as possible.
[69] The 2014 Fijian general election was held on 17 September 2014, and resulted in FijiFirst winning 32 of 50 seats in the new Parliament of Fiji[70] and forming a government which was effectively a continuation of the military regime.