World

Kingmakers crown new Fijian PM

By AAP Newswire

Dec 20, 2022

People's Alliance Party leader Sitiveni Rabuka — Sitiveni Rabuka will lead Fiji after his party secured Social Liberal Democratic Party support. -AAP Image

Cheering, singing and car horns have filled the streets outside the office of the man who will be crowned Fiji's new prime minister.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

Sitiveni Rabuka will head the Pacific nation after his People's Alliance party secured the vote of the Social Liberal Democratic Party (SODELPA), whose three members held the balance of power after a hung parliament.

Rabuka will head a tripartite coalition between People's Alliance, who billed themselves as an alternative to the nationalist FijiFirst government, the Indigenous-focused SODELPA and the more liberal-democratic National Federation Party.

The heads of the Liberal Democrats narrowly decided to dethrone Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, with 16 votes for People's Alliance and 14 for FijiFirst.

It ends Bainimarama's almost 16-year reign after instigating a coup in 2006 and installing himself as prime minister the year after.

Bainimarama led FijiFirst to two democratic victories in 2014 and 2018 but failed to secure a majority at last week's election.

FijiFirst will command 26 seats in the expanded 55-member parliament, while People's Alliance will have 21, the National Federation five, and SODELPA three.

FijiFirst secured 42.5 per cent of the vote, while People's Alliance took 36 per cent, the National Federation Party nine per cent and SODELPA more than five per cent.