Jiko Luveni
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Jiko Luveni | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Speaker of the Parliament | |
| In office 6 October 2014 – 22 December 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Frank Bainimarama |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Epeli Nailatikau |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1946 |
| Died | 22 December 2018 (aged 71–72) |
| Party | FijiFirst |
| Spouse | Inoke Luveni |
| Education | Adi Cakobau School |
| Alma mater | Fiji School of Medicine |
Jiko Fatafehi Luveni (c. 1946 – 22 December 2018) was a Fijian politician and Speaker of the Parliament of Fiji. She was a member of the FijiFirst party before resigning her party membership in order to take up the position of Speaker. This was because the Fijian Speaker is not a Member of Parliament and cannot be a member of a political party pursuant to section 77(1)(a) and section 77(7)(b)(ii) of the Fijian Constitution.[1]
The daughter of a former shopkeeper turned shipping magnate, Luveni came from the village of Nukuni on the island of Ono-i-Lau, in the Lau archipelago. She was educated at Lautoka Fijian School and then at Nabua Secondary School in Suva, before enrolling in Adi Cakobau School in Sawani.[2] She graduated from the Fiji School of Dentistry in 1967, the first Fijian woman to do so.[2][3] After graduation, she worked for twenty years for the Ministry of Health, before working for the United Nations Population Fund as project manager for reproductive health from 1987 to 2002. She resigned three years ahead of the expiry of her term to take up a post as HIV project officer for the Ministry of Health, working as project manager for Fiji Network for People Living with HIV, a non-governmental organization.
From 2007 to 2008 Luveni served on the board of the interim Fiji Sports Council.[4][5]