‘Blacklisted’ ex-Fiji sevens coach Ben Ryan urges Fijians to vote in general election; politician vows to ‘free’ Englishman
- Ryan is reportedly on the government’s ‘blacklist’ because of his 2018 book
- Prime Minister Bainimarama’s FijiFirst party is favourite to stay in power
Fiji’s “blacklisted” Olympic-winning coach Ben Ryan has urged people in “the beautiful republic” to vote in Wednesday’s general election, as one politician vowed to “free” the Englishman if the ruling government is replaced.
“General Elections in Fiji tomorrow,” Ryan tweeted on Tuesday morning (Hong Kong time). “Go out there and make sure you all exercise your democratic right to vote in the beautiful republic of Fiji.”
He then wrote the hashtag, #veilomani, which in Fiji means the act of loving one another.
The elections in Fiji sees Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who is also president of the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU), and his FijiFirst government trying to hold on to power.
Former military leader Bainimarama has led the country since 2007 after orchestrating his second coup to remove the government, the first being in 2006. His brother-in-law, Francis Kean, is chairman of the FRU and was in 2007 convicted of manslaughter after an initial charge of murder had been reduced.