Coup leaders contest election
SYDNEY: Two former coup leaders are seen as the leading contenders in Fiji’s general election on Wednesday, the second to be held since 2006 when then-commander of the armed forces Frank Bainimarama seized power.
The former British colony of more than 300 Pacific islands, with a population of about 910,000, was suspended from the British Commonwealth and isolated diplomatically after the bloodless coup.
Mr Bainimarama stood down from the military to run as a civilian in the country’s 2014 elections, winning in a landslide, and the country has been welcomed back to the international community, enjoying a visit in October from Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.
Former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who himself led two coups in 1987, is the main opposition candidate.
Mr Rabuka, who l eads the Social Democratic Liberal Party of Fiji, known as Sodelpa, which is running on a platform of government transparency, will not know until later today whether he is eligible to be elected after being accused of deliberately breaching financial disclosure laws.
On Saturday he was questioned by police over an unrelated matter concerning a debate with Mr Bainimarama about the National Bank of Fiji on Nov 5, Sodelpa general secretary Adi Qionibaravi said by telephone from Suva.
Ms Qionibaravi said despite the setbacks, Sodelpa could beat Mr Bainimarama’s FijiFirst party.
“We are very confident,” she said. Stewart Firth, an Australian National University (ANU) Pacific Islands research fellow, said Mr Bainimarama had the advantage of incumbency was likely to win.
Mr Firth said Mr Bainimarama had the support of about 80% of Fijians of Indian descent, who are the country’s largest minority.
Meanwhile, Sodelpa is regarded as a pro-indigenous Fijian party.
The ANU researcher said there was a chance of a coup attempt if the opposition were to win an upset victory because the army supported Mr Bainimarama, even though the military had promised to accept the result.
The elections will also be contested by the National Federation Party, the country’s third-largest party, led by economics professor Biman Prasad.
The NFP’s campaign manifesto says its priorities are a living wage for workers and farmers and lifting “the climate of fear that covers our country”.
Pre-poll voting ended on Saturday afternoon ahead of what is to be a 48-hour media and campaign blackout period, which began earlier today before the Nov 14 general election.