Stage set for 2018 Fiji vote

Personalities will clash as Fijians prepare to go to the ballot

THE personality of Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama ensured that his Fiji First party won an outright majority in the 2014 polls, but that could change come this year.

The four years has given opposition parties an opportunity to strongly challenge Fiji First policies under the 2013 Constitution, which could not be done in an era when Fiji was without a parliament and government ruled by decrees.

2018 will also see the return of former Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka to the political arena who is no doubt going to be very vocal against Bainimarama. There will be 51 seats to be contested with an expected 250 plus candidates to go on the ballot paper.

The three big names to watch out for in the 2018 elections will be Frank Bainimarama’s Fiji First, Sitiveni Rabuka’s SODELPA and Dr Biman Prasad’s National Federation Party. The single constituency electoral system, which played nicely with Bainimarama in 2014 because of his popularity, will also be tested in 2018.

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