Fiji Election Result: No Clear Winner As Election Ends In Hung Parliament

That has left both sides seeking to form a coalition with the Social Democrat Liberal Party. 

Fiji Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama

Source : Getty

New Delhi: The vote counting finished in Fiji’s general election on Sunday with no clear winner and numerous political groups are currently negotiating to form a coalition government, the news agency AP reported.

Two previous coup leaders were pitted against each other in the election.

Sitiveni Rabuka, who led a coup in 1987 before becoming an elected prime minister in the 1990s, emerged as the major contender to Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who has been in office for the previous 16 years.

Rabuka’s People’s Alliance Party and its allies the National Federation Party won about 45% of the vote combined. Bainimarama’s Fiji’s First party, meanwhile, won about 43%, AP reported.

That has left both sides seeking to form a coalition with the Social Democrat Liberal Party. 

The liberal party’s general secretary Lenaitasi Duru told the media they were having meetings with both sides.

“The first round of negotiations was done yesterday,” AP reported quoting Duru. “We are expecting more negotiations later this afternoon.”

He added that the party’s priorities included Indigenous affairs and education. “Right now we’re sitting in the middle,” Duru said. “We’re watching and waiting for what is on offer, then we’ll make the decision based on what’s best for the nation.”

Earlier, on Friday, Rabuka’s party and four others had said they were launching a nationwide petition because they had no faith in the integrity of election officials.

But according to AP, an international group that monitored the election said on Friday that it did not observe any voting irregularities and the process was transparent and credible.

Rebekha Sharkie, an Australian lawmaker and co-chair of the 90-strong Multinational Observer Group, told reporters in Fiji they had unrestricted access to the election process and didn’t observe any irregularities, AP reported.

She further said that the group had assessed that Fijians were able to vote freely.

(With inputs from AP)