Fiji former coup leader ‘Frank’ Bainimarama narrowly retains power in election for PM
- Bainimarama led a bloodless coup 12 years ago
- His FijiFirst party took 50.02 per cent of the vote, enough to claim 27 seats
Former Fiji military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama survived declining support for his FijiFirst party to remain in power Sunday, fending off a strong challenge from rival coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka.
The Fiji election result, confirmed four days after the island nation went to the polls for only the second time since “Frank” Bainimarama seized power in 2006, gave FijiFirst a three-seat majority in parliament.
Bainimarama was not in Fiji to hear the final result but told Fiji Broadcasting Corporation from New Zealand, where he has been attending his brother’s funeral, that he was “proud to become your prime minister once again”.
FijiFirst took 50.02 per cent of the vote, enough to claim 27 seats, while Rabuka’s SODELPA party with 39.85 per cent and the National Federation Party with 7.38 per cent got 24 seats between them in the 51-seat parliament.
Support for FijiFirst had dived from 59.17 per cent in 2014 when Bainimarama first went to the polls following eight years of political reforms after he overthrew the previous government of then prime minister Laisenia Qarase.
Rabuka, who led two military coups in 1987 before later being democratically elected prime minister, saw SODELPA’s share of the vote rise from 21.18 per cent four years ago.
