Coup-plagued Fiji goes to the polls
SUVA, Fiji: Fiji’s second election since a 2006 military takeover — pitting one coup leader against another — passed off peacefully yesterday, although heavy rain dampened voter turnout in the Pacific island nation.
The ballot sees Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, the former military chief who led a bloodless takeover of the government 12 years ago, face off against another coup leader, Sitiveni Rabuka of the SODELPA Party.
Bainimarama’s FijiFirst Party, which secured a landslide 59 percent in the last election four years ago, is favourite to retain office against a fractured opposition.
Bainimarama, 64, has promised stability and an end to the ‘coup culture’ that saw four governments toppled between 1987 and 2006.
Rabuka, who staged two coups in 1987 and led the country from 1992- 99, was only cleared to run in the election on Monday after defeating corruption charges that government critics said were politically motivated.
Torrential rain forced the closure of 23 polling stations and affected turnout among the 550,000 registered voters in the nation of 920,000.
“With numbers still coming in, it looks like we may be facing low voter turnout,” Elections Supervisor Mohammed Saneem said as he declared polling had ended.
“The weather was persistent in terms of rain all day and we had to close a few of the polling venues due to accessibility issues.”
Preliminary results will be released later Wednesday but an election winner will not be known for four or five days as votes trickle in from polling stations on the archipelago’s more remote islands.
Given the backgrounds of both major candidates, there have inevitably been rumours one of the election’s major players could try to stage a coup if the vote does not go their way.
However, police commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho said in the lead-up to the election that 2,000 officers were on duty to ensure there was no unrest.
“I want to reiterate again to all Fijians, forget the rumours,” he told reporters.
“We are in control of the security situation here, go out and vote for the government you want. We will provide you with security you need.” — AFP