Sports in the multi-party cabinet. When the Qarase government was deposed by the 2006 Fijian coup d'état, Kepa joined a court case challenging the legality of the coup. She also used her position in the Great Council of Chiefs to oppose the coup, and was instrumental in the Council's 2007 rejection of Epeli Nailatikau nomination as Vice-President. As a result, the Council was suspended. In May 2007, Kepa was threatened by the military over her opposition to the coup. However she continued to speak out against the regime and its People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress. In July 2009 she was arrested and charged with breaching public emergency regulations and conspiracy to cause disorder after offering that her province would host the annual conference of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma, which the military regime had banned. The charges were later dropped. In 2011 the military regime suspended the Rewa Provincial Council in another effort to silence her. In March 2014 Kepa was elected leader of the newly formed Social Democratic Liberal Party. She led the party into the 2014 election. The party won 15 of the 50 parliamentary seats; Kepa, who won 49,485 votes in her own name, was the second-highest ranked candidate behind Bainimarama. On 6 October 2014 Kepa was appointed Leader of the Opposition. In June 2016, Kepa announced that she was standing down as leader of SODELPA. She was replaced by former Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. She was re-elected in the 2018 elections, winning 6,036 votes, the second-highest of any female candidate. 2021 Fijian presidential election On 22 October 2021, Kepa was nominated as the opposition SODELPA party's candidate for the position of president of Fiji. She was able to gain the support of 23 MPs, but was defeated by the government's candidate, Wiliame Katonivere, in the first round of voting. One opposition MP, Mosese Bulitavu of SODELPA, had also voted for Katonivere. Had she been elected, Kepa would have been the first woman to hold the presidency of Fiji. References Further reading |- |- |- |- 1945 births Living people Fijian chiefs I-Taukei Fijian members of the House of Representatives (Fiji) I-Taukei Fijian members of the Parliament of Fiji I-Taukei Fijian members of the Senate (Fiji) Roko Tui Dreketi Social Democratic Liberal Party politicians Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua politicians University of the South Pacific alumni University of the South Pacific faculty Politicians from