More than 1,000 chiefly titles remain unfilled across Fiji’s 14 provinces, according to figures tabled in Parliament by the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, Culture, Heritage and Arts.
Responding to a written question, Minister Ifireimi Vasu said that of 6,205 registered traditional titles, 5,164 are filled while 1,043 remain vacant — meaning 17 per cent of chiefly positions are still to be formalised.
The ministry said the data provides a clearer picture of the status of chiefly institutions across the country.
Lomaiviti, which has 495 titles, has only 262 filled while 233 remain vacant.
In Nadroga-Navosa, there are 443 titles out of which 290 are filled and the rest remain vacant.
The figures show wide variation between provinces.
Rewa and Lau recorded the highest proportion of titles filled at 94 per cent, while provinces such as Ra and Namosi have vacancy rates as high as 19 per cent.
Ba has the largest number of titles overall, with 532, of which 47 remain vacant.
Naitasiri follows with 610 titles, and 85 vacancies.
