Fiji stages nation’s first election since 2006 coup
19 Sept 2014 4:49 AM IST
Fijians voted on Wednesday in the South Pacific nation’s first election since a 2006 coup, with the military on standby in case violence flares but police reporting no problems in early polling.
Long queues formed before doors opened at 7:30am on Wednesday at the Vatuwaqa Public School just outside Suva city centre, where military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama cast his ballot almost eight years after seizing power.
Bainimarama, who is standing as a prime ministerial candidate, said he was confident of winning the historic poll, which for the first time extends full voting rights to Indian Fijians, who make up 40 percent of the 900,000 population.
‘We’ve been through a lot in the last eight years ... on Wednesday is very important for Fiji, this is the first time we are voting without any discrimination,’ he told reporters.
‘Before you used to queue up to vote in different races, that is now gone. On Wednesday is about bringing democracy back to Fiji,’ he added.
The vote is seen as pivotal to ending the country’s ‘coup culture’.
Long queues formed before doors opened at 7:30am on Wednesday at the Vatuwaqa Public School just outside Suva city centre, where military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama cast his ballot almost eight years after seizing power.
Bainimarama, who is standing as a prime ministerial candidate, said he was confident of winning the historic poll, which for the first time extends full voting rights to Indian Fijians, who make up 40 percent of the 900,000 population.
‘We’ve been through a lot in the last eight years ... on Wednesday is very important for Fiji, this is the first time we are voting without any discrimination,’ he told reporters.
‘Before you used to queue up to vote in different races, that is now gone. On Wednesday is about bringing democracy back to Fiji,’ he added.
The vote is seen as pivotal to ending the country’s ‘coup culture’.
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