Non-Subscriber Extract
Fiji's military chief monopolises power
21 April 2009
Hopes that regional cajoling might finally send Fiji's military chief, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, to the ballot box died in April 2009 in what amounted to a second phase of his December 2006 coup. The moves, played out through ailing President Josefa Iloilo, came amid economic depression and concerns over civil and political liberties. Bainimarama, who overthrew a democratic government in December 2006, has said elections will not take place before 2014.
In the meantime, the 3,300-strong Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), which suffered a bloody mutiny in 2000, remains divided and dangerous, and this is forcing Australia and New Zealand to reconsider their options.