PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the authority to appoint an Acting Prime Minister lies solely with him.
Mr Rabuka was responding to questions on why Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka was not appointed Acting Prime Minister during his recent absence.
“That is a prerogative of the Prime Minister,” he said.
“I was going to call him up while I was still there (in Japan) to go and finalise some discussions about the Fiji Airways flying into Haneda Airport.”
The query follows recent shifts within the Coalition Government leadership after the resignations of The People’s Alliance deputy leader Manoa Kamikamica and National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad as deputy prime ministers. Their departure leaves SODELPA MP Viliame Gavoka as the only remaining Deputy Prime Minister.
The changes have renewed public interest in how the Acting Prime Minister is selected when Mr Rabuka is overseas or unavailable.
He said the process remains unchanged and rests with the Prime Minister of the day.
Meanwhile, NFP president Parmod Chand said the party’s management meeting yesterday confirmed support for its MPs.
When asked about confidence in Prof Prasad’s return, he replied: “Yes, we are.”
Mr Chand declined to comment on the agreement signed between NFP and The People’s Alliance ahead of the last election, citing the ongoing legal process.
