Rivals tied in Fiji parliamentary election
Rival parties are courting the smaller Social Democrats to form a majority bloc
Daily TribuneRival parties are courting the smaller Social Democrats to form a majority bloc
SUVA, Fiji (AFP) — Final results showed Fiji's tumultuous general election deadlocked Sunday, with two rival ex-coup leaders failing to win a clear majority of seats in parliament.
Incumbent Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama's Fiji First party and a coalition led by Sitiveni Rabuka were both projected to secure 26 seats in the 55-seat legislature, according to a Fijian Election Office tally posted online.
The prime minister and the next government will now likely be determined through party horsetrading and what could be a drawn-out negotiation process.
The election holds significance beyond Fiji — Bainimarama, 68, has been close with Beijing, while Rabuka, 74, has signaled his desire to loosen Fiji's ties to China.
Fiji has been upended by four coups in the past 35 years, and many on the streets of its capital, Suva, had hoped in vain for a smooth election.
The cliffhanger result caps a fractious campaign marked by allegations of fraud and calls for the military to intervene.
After polls closed Wednesday, opposition leader and former rugby international Rabuka claimed "anomalies" in the count and asked the country's powerful military to step in.
He was then hauled in for questioning by detectives. On his release, he told AFP it was part of a government effort to intimidate him.
"The way this government has operated, we've been talking about a climate of fear. This is how they instil that fear," he said.
The two frontrunners are already courting the small Social Democratic party, which holds three seats and the balance of power.
It is led by deeply Christian businessman Viliame Gavoka, who was arrested in 2010 for sending tourism operators emails about a Fijian pastor falsely prophesying an impending tsunami.
Land rights for indigenous Fijians and free tertiary education are some of the Social Democratic party's key policies.
