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Fiji deploys military for ‘law and order’ as power hangs in balance after election


Fiji’s military will assist police in maintaining “security and stability” after last week’s election delivered a hung parliament, the country’s police commissioner has said.

The coup-prone Pacific country is waiting for its president to recall parliament so lawmakers can vote for a new prime minister after a national election showed no party received a clear majority.

A coalition of three parties say they have a combined majority and have agreed on the People’s Alliance leader, Sitiveni Rabuka, as prime minister. Fiji First and the incumbent prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, have not conceded defeat.

Both men have led coups in the past.

Opposition parties have disputed reports – cited by police and Bainimara​ma as reason to bring in the military – that businesses or homes of Fiji’s large ethnic Indian population have been targeted or stoned in the wake of the election. The opposition groups have called for evidence of this.

At a media conference on Thursday, the National Federation party leader, Biman Prasad, said Fiji First’s secretary general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who was the attorney general in Bainimarama’s government, was “trying to create fear in the minds of people” and should accept the election result.

“He is not accepting they lost this election, people voted for change,” Prasad said.

The police commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho, said a decision had been made to call in the military after he met with Bainimara​ma​ as well as the minister for defence and policing, Inia Seruiratu, and the military commander, Maj Gen Jone Kalouniwai.

“We came to an agreement for RFMF personnel to assist police with the maintenance of law and order, amidst growing concerns of racial tension,” a statement published on Thursday read.

Qiliho said the decision was based on reports received that “minority groups continue to be targeted and information of planned civil unrest received”.

The police commissioner also cited “threats made against minority groups who are now living in fear following recent political developments”.

“While the army and navy personnel have been called in to assist, police will continue to lead the overall security operations,” he added.

Bainimarama issued a statement saying the military had been deployed across the country to complement the police in maintaining law and order. “The reports of harassment suffered by our citizens and violence targeted at Indo-Fijian homes and businesses in the wake of the election are deeply disturbing,” he said in a Facebook post.

Fiji’s president, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, has until 2 January to summon parliament, media outlet Fiji Village reported, citing a letter sent by Katonivere to the coalition partners. The prime minister must be voted in by more than 50% of lawmakers on the parliament floor.

The Pacific island country, with a population of 900,000, had a history of military coups before constitutional reform in 2013 to remove a race-based voting system that favoured indigenous Fijians over ethnic Indians.

In 2006, Bainimarama instigated a coup and was installed as prime minister the year after, before leading FijiFirst to majority government at the 2014 and 2018 democratic elections.

Rabuka is a former prime minister who instigated a coup in 1987 before bringing back democratic elections in 1992 and led the country through to 1999.

The Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa), a power-broker holding three seats in the hung parliament, supports policies favouring indigenous Fijians, and on Tuesday signed a coalition agreement with Rabuka’s People’s Alliance and the National Federation Party.

However Sodelpa’s board must meet again, after the validity of the decision to back the coalition was challenged by the party’s general secretary and Fiji’s supervisor of elections.

The Australian Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report



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