Fiji will have a new leader for the first time in over 15 years. After last week’s general election ended in a draw, Sitiveni Rabuka, head of the opposition Alliance for the People party, put together a coalition and took over the government of the Pacific nation – ousting Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who had risen to the post through of a coup d’état in 2006 and legitimized his government by emerging victorious in two subsequent democratic elections.
Known for its stunning scenery, Fiji has a history of military upheavals, and it only became a parliamentary democracy again in 2013, when a change to the constitution ended the old race-based electoral system. Rabuka led two of these insurrections, both in 1987: the overthrow of the then-elected Prime Minister, Timoci Baviera; and the abolition of the monarchy, which meant that the country was no longer headed by Queen Elizabeth II and became a republic.
This year’s elections were marked by instability. Bainimarama’s government, accused of growing authoritarianism, banned political advertising of any kind two days before the election so as not to influence the population, an action labeled as censorship by civil rights organizations. The vote count was the target of attacks by Rabuka, who alleged suspicion of fraud and asked for military intervention – which the army ruled out, saying it trusted the electoral process. Finally, the vote ended in a tie, which led the candidates to spend two days negotiating support in Congress.
This Monday (20), Rabuka announced that the impasse was resolved with the accession of Sodelpa (Liberal Social-Democratic Party, in its acronym in English) to his government. With three seats in Parliament, he brings the coalition — which also includes the National Federation Party — to 29 seats, while former Prime Minister Bainimarama’s First Party has 26 seats.
Rabuka thanked the population at a live-streamed press meeting. “They voted for change, and we will give it to them,” he said, who was democratically elected prime minister between 1992 and 1999. Bainimarama has not made any public appearances since the elections.
Despite having less than 1 million people, Fiji plays a central role in the Pacific region, serving as a transport and trade hub and acting as a regional leader amid China’s strides in increasing its influence over the area. The theme, by the way, marks a point of contention between Bainimarama and Rabuka — while the latter has strengthened relations with Beijing throughout his administration, the former defends less proximity to the Asian giant.
In May of this year, China failed to consolidate a comprehensive security agreement with the Pacific Islands. The proposal involved increasing the Chinese presence in local security, with greater cooperation in the police sector and in combating transnational crime — something similar to what was signed with the Solomon Islands —, and outlining a free trade area.
Western countries, particularly the United States, oppose Beijing’s influence in the region. The US State Department even told countries in the South Pacific to be wary of what it called “obscure and vague agreements, with little transparency”.
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