Frank Bainimarama has led Fiji since 2006, when the then-army chief seized power in a military coup.
| Fiji’s long-time leader, Frank Bainimarama, failed to win a majority in elections held last week, leaving the Pacific island nation facing a hung parliament and a period of uncertainty as political parties look to form coalitions.
Mr Bainimarama’s Fiji First Party won 26 seats in the December 14 vote, according to Fijilive.com and data from the Fiji Elections Office. That’s two short of the majority needed to form a government in the 55-member parliament. It typically takes days for final results to come in after the polls because ballots need to arrive from outlying islands.
The result marks the first time since democratic elections resumed in Fiji in 2014 that Mr Bainimarama’s party has failed to secure the majority needed to rule. He will have to woo at least one of the other parties into a coalition to maintain power, according to Radio New Zealand International., when the then-army chief seized power in a military coup.
Sodelpa was formed in 2013 after Mr Bainimarama introduced new rules that required all political parties to register their names in English. It was formerly known as Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua, or SDL, and led the government Mr Bainimarama ousted in December 2006. A cluster of islands between Hawaii and New Zealand, Fiji’s idyllic image as a magnet for vacationers and brands like Fiji Water, is at odds with its tumultuous political history. Mr Bainimarama’s was the fourth coup since 1987, and saw the military’s power even further entrenched. Fiji’s economy took a hit during the pandemic as global travel was paralysed, and the country has just this year started to welcome back tourists..
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