Sitiveni Rabuka has been elected as Fiji's new Prime Minister. After 16 years, Fiji is preparing to welcome its new prime minister.
The appointment of Rabuka ends 10 days of uncertainty after an election delivered a hung parliament. Rabuka is the leader of the People's Alliance, a political party in Fiji formed in 2021.
Fiji's Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) on Friday voted to form a coalition with Rabuka's People's Alliance and the National Federation Party.
In the secret parliamentary vote for prime minister, Rabuka got 28 votes, while 27 members of parliament voted for Fiji Leader Voreqe Bainimarama.
The announcement was made by the newly-elected speaker of the Fijian Parliament, Naiqama Lalabalavu, on Saturday.
Fiji's Social Democratic Liberal Party joined forces with Rabuka's People's Alliance and the National Federation Party on Friday. Following the alliance formed, Rabuka clinched for the next term, marking the end of 16 years of leadership under Frank Bainimarama, who seized power in 2006 military coup, reported ABC news.
The last two democratic elections in Fiji was won by Bainimarama's Fiji First party.
In a press conference earlier this month, SODELPA's leader said he wanted Fiji's foreign relations to be closely aligned with Australia, New Zealand and some members of the Pacific Islands Forum, reported Reuters.
Fiji has a history of military coups, with Rabuka staging two in 1987, and at times witnessed tense race relations between its indigenous majority and a large ethnic Indian group until constitutional reform in 2013 removed a race-based voting system that favoured indigenous Fijians, Reuters reported.