Abstract
Fiji's much anticipated election was held in September 2014, returning Frank Bainimarama's Fiji First Party to power under a proportional representation open list system sanctioned by the decreed 2013 constitution. It marks an important step on a long and fraught journey back to parliamentary democracy. A new start has been made, but a lot will depend on how deeply Bainimarama's publicly declared multiracial vision is shared by his own supporters, including the military, overwhelming Indigenous Fijian, which has a proven history of being a friend neither of multiracialism nor of democracy. Whether this turns out to be a pyrrhic victory for one man or a turning point in Fiji's modern history remains to be seen.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 457-468 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Pacific History |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Oct 2014 |