The leader of the opposition in Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka announced Thursday, December 15 to AFP that he was considering an appeal concerning the result of the legislative elections, the publication of which was delayed due to a
technical
"anomaly"
, while calling for calm.
In his first statements since the election, Sitiveni Rabuka, a former prime minister who carried out two coups, said his party had the right to take
"legal recourse"
, and called
on "the Fijian people to remain calm , especially our supporters”
.
“I need to be convinced that this is the correct result.
Even with the involvement of the courts”
, noted Sitiveni Rabuka, nicknamed “Rambo”.
“We are in the process of examining our right of recourse”
.
The elections were fiercely contested between Sitiveni Rabuka and his rival Frank Bainimarama, a former coup leader who became prime minister and has been in power for sixteen years.
The Fijian archipelago (about 900,000 inhabitants) has suffered four coups in 35 years.
Two democratic elections were held in 2014 and 2018. These legislative elections are seen as a test for the fragile democracy of this Pacific nation.
Four coups in 35 years
The counting of the votes began on Wednesday before being interrupted because of the detection of an
"anomaly"
, indicated during a press conference organized hastily Thursday morning the supervisor of the elections Mohammed Saneem.
He cited a
"lag"
between votes cast and a candidate's tally.
Sitiveni Rabuka was leading the partial results on Wednesday night when the count was halted.
Frank Bainimarama's party, FijiFirst, had retaken the lead when the publication of partial results resumed four hours later.
"Let's not get carried away by what we assessed as an early victory yesterday"
on Wednesday, said Sitiveni Rabuka.
The last days of the campaign were marked by a strict media blackout, preventing any reporting on the election for 48 hours before the polls opened and until the polls closed.
Political billboards have been removed and political advertisements banned.
Political parties were also prohibited from enticing voters by offering kava near campaign stands.
This bitter drink, made from the fermentation of a root, has great cultural significance and slightly narcotic properties.