Idyllic Fiji belies coup culture with first election since 2006

Fijians voted on Wednesday in the South Pacific nation’s first election since a 2006 coup, with the military on standby in case violence flares but police reporting no problems in early polling. Long queues formed before doors opened at 7:30 am (1930 GMT Tuesday) at the Vatuwaqa Public School just outside Suva city centre, where military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama cast his ballot almost eight years after seizing power. Bainimarama, who is standing as a prime ministerial candidate, said he was confident of winning the historic poll, which for the first time extends full voting rights to Indian Fijians, who make up 40 percent of the 900,000 population.

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.

Fiji prime ministerial candidate Voreqe Bainimarama

The vote is 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. Some 590,000 registered voters will have 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. Election officials say results might not be formally declared for seven days but a preliminary count may be available as early as 2:00 am Thursday (1400 GMT Wednesday).

I’m not going to lose, I will win, so you ask that question to the other parties.

Vorege Bainimarama, when asked if he’d accept the election results if he lost

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