Fiji’s military ruler headed for big election win

Fijians flocked to vote on Wednesday in the South Pacific nation’s first election since a 2006 coup, with officials declaring the poll trouble free and military strongman Frank Bainimarama saying he would win. Long queues formed at polling centres before doors opened and a festive atmosphere prevailed, with many people turning out in their Sunday best after almost eight years of military rule. Bainimarama, who is standing as a prime ministerial candidate, cast his ballot and said he was willing to submit to the will of the people after years of ruling by decree.

We’ve been through a lot in the last eight years… today is very important for Fiji, this is the first time we are voting without any discrimination. Before you used to queue up to vote in different races, that is now gone. Today is about bringing democracy back to Fiji.

Military strongman Frank Bainimarama

Some 590,000 registered voters had the chance to select from almost 250 candidates standing for election to a new 50-seat parliament set up under a constitution adopted in 2013. The vote was seen as pivotal to ending the country’s “coup culture”, which saw four governments toppled between 1987 and 2006, largely due to tensions between indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians. Bainimarama seized power vowing to stamp out corruption and end racial divisions.

We haven’t received any reports of any altercations in any of our polling stations and, as such, we can say, from the current information available, that there was no violence.

Fiji’s police commissioner Bernadus Groenewald

Asia-Pacific fiji election