Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SUVA209
2006-05-17 02:42:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Suva
Cable title:  

FIJI ELECTION TO QARASE'S SDL...PROBABLY

Tags:  PGOV PREL PINR ASEC FJ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7347
PP RUEHPB
DE RUEHSV #0209/01 1370242
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 170242Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY SUVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3092
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1213
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 0832
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1007
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SUVA 000209 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR ASEC FJ
SUBJECT: FIJI ELECTION TO QARASE'S SDL...PROBABLY

REF: SUVA 206 (AND PREVIOUS)

Classified By: Amb. Dinger. Sec. 1.4 (B,D).

Summary
-------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SUVA 000209

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR ASEC FJ
SUBJECT: FIJI ELECTION TO QARASE'S SDL...PROBABLY

REF: SUVA 206 (AND PREVIOUS)

Classified By: Amb. Dinger. Sec. 1.4 (B,D).

Summary
--------------

1. (C) In Fiji's general election, Prime Minister Qarase's
SDL and Opposition Leader Chaudhry's FLP garnered nearly all
seats, with the SDL, supported by two independent candidates,
likely to form government with a tiny majority. Final,
marginal-seat results are still trickling in. The FLP hasn't
given up. It is lobbying the two independents. It is also
challenging results in a suburban Suva seat where it alleges
15 ballot boxes mysteriously appeared and in another suburban
seat where SDL is alleged to have influenced the count.
Voting was mostly party/race-based. Apart from the two
significant disputes, which remain unresolved at close of
day, the process generally appeared to be free and fair,
though it was very complex and lengthy. Qarase plans to
offer cabinet seats to the FLP, as required by the
Constitution, though some worry the offer won't be genuine.
Another worry is how Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF)
Commander Bainimarama will react. Qarase's apparent victory
may well restart the clock on civil-military tensions in
Fiji. End Summary.

SDL, with independents, edges ahead
--------------

2. (U) As predicted (refs),Fiji's general election has
turned out to be very close, with PM Qarase's SDL and
Opposition Leader Chaudhry's FLP gaining nearly all the
seats. The only exceptions are two UPP "generals" who are
aligned with the FLP, and two independents. As of COB,
several open seats are still cycling through repeated
preference allocations; however, based on preference
expectations, it appears the SDL will be able to form
government. Even FLP sources tell us they are likely to be
behind, 35-36 or 34-37. A couple of factors remain at play,
though, and we hear both Qarase and Chaudhry have sent
messages to President Iloilo requesting to form a government.



3. (SBU) SDL's margin is based on statements by the two
independent victors that they intend to align with SDL.
Chaudhry has said he is trying to woo the two, but that

appears difficult. One, Rob Irwin, is an ethnic-English
businessman who likes Qarase's pro-business stance; the other
is George Konrote, a former RFMF senior officer who until
recently was Fiji's High Commissioner to Australia.
Reportedly Konrote has at least agreed to talk with Chaudhry.
Many are speculating Qarase will offer Konrote the Home
Affairs Ministry with responsibility for the RFMF.

Ballot-box mysteries: a court case?
--------------

4. (C) The FLP is likely to initiate a court challenge
concerning at least one Suva suburban seat where allegedly 15
ballot boxes mysteriously appeared after the pre-count
verification process had commenced. Officials swear the
total was always 98, not 83, and that any announcement to the
contrary was simply a mistake. They say a complete paper
trail backs their case. However, the FLP and three minor
parties are very skeptical, in part because the FLP candidate
for that seat had the same sort of unpleasant surprise happen
to her in 2001. The four have already filed an electoral
protest. Elections supervisors ordered a second full recount
in another Suva suburban seat late Wednesday after the FLP
alleged an SDL candidate who initially lost by 4 votes
entered the counting room and convinced officials to allow in
additional ballots from outside to give her a 17 vote
victory. If the final outcome is 34 or 35 for SDL plus its 2
independents, the two disputed seats would be the margin of
victory.

Some valid complaints; mostly "free and fair" but...
-------------- --------------

5. (U) We heard a number of complaints, particularly from
the ethnic-Indian parties, of problems with the polls. The
most frequent issue was that voters, usually ethnic-Indian
and often with registration slips in hand, were missing from
the polling lists or were placed in the wrong constituencies.
In most seats, with big victory margins, that did not affect
the outcome. In a few, where the margin after preferences
has been as few as 200 votes, disenfranchisement could have
been a factor. Obviously, the outcome of the suburban Suva
open seat controversies could decide the election. Another
concern is that the number of invalid votes was high again
this year, perhaps 10% or more. The main cause is a very
complicated preferential ballot. While our impression is

SUVA 00000209 002 OF 002


that, in general, officials have attempted to provide a free
and fair election, we reserve final judgment until the Suva
suburban issues are resolved.

People voted party; race is a factor
--------------

6. (U) Voting was heavily determined by party affiliation,
and the SDL and FLP are racially based. SDL rolled with big
majorities through all 23 Fijian-communal seats, as did FLP
through all 19 Indian-communal seats. In open seats where
one race is dominant, the seats went as race determined. As
expected, a group of less than a dozen, racially marginal
open seats were key. In a few, FLP scored upsets; in one SDL
eked out a 200 vote victory on fifth preference count. Many
went well into the preference lists. In those, primarily
urban-based seats, race played a major role but not an
absolutely decisive one. The total inability of the new
multi-racial National Alliance Party and the historically
prominent, Indian-based NFP to win anything may signal the
end of those movements.

A multi-party cabinet?
--------------

7. (C) PM Qarase has declared victory and has said he will
follow the Constitution by offering seats to the FLP for a
multi-party cabinet. Qarase has made clear, however, that he
does not like the idea and would prefer Chaudhry and his FLP
fellows to be in opposition. Qarase says he wants a
multi-ethnic cabinet, just not a multi-party one.
Unfortunately, only two of the SDL's ethnic-Indian candidates
won open seats, so a meaningfully multi-ethnic team, absent
the FLP, seems a pipe dream. Last time around, under court
order, Qarase ended up offering a bunch of powerless cabinet
positions to FLP, which Chaudhry rejected out of hand,
preferring opposition status. Prominent Indo-Fijian academic
Brij Lal came to the Ambassador today at request of several
prominent Indian businessmen to ask for foreign-diplomatic
help to convince Qarase to make a sellable offer to Chaudhry
on cabinet seats. The businessmen fear continued
confrontational politics otherwise. We noted that Qarase has
been quite definitive in his views. Lal carried a second
request: that diplomats lobby Qarase and RFMF Commander
Bainimarama to reduce civil-military tension. We described
how we have been doing that for months and would continue to
do so as appropriate.

The military wild card
--------------

8. (C) The RFMF's response to the election outcome certainly
bears watching. Commodore Bainimarama clearly expected the
SDL to lose. However, Qarase has said publicly that the
RFMF's "truth and justice" campaign against the SDL actually
helped stimulate ethnic-Fijian turnout for the SDL. In
victory statements, Qarase has reiterated that he intends to
continue pursuing ethnic-based legislation, like the
reconciliation bill and the fishing-rights bill, which
Bainimarama strongly opposes. Also, Qarase has publicly
announced he intends to seek a Supreme Court judgment on the
military's proper role under Fiji's current Constitution, as
a step toward reining in Bainimarama.


9. (C) All this puts a spotlight on the Commander. Will he
back off from past threats to remove a reelected Qarase
government if it attempts to pursue past policies? Or, might
he attempt to buttress FLP allegations of election flaws,
like the mystery 15-box discrepancy? Bainimarama has
canceled plans to visit the Solomon Islands this week. It
will be interesting to see if he will continue with plans to
visit Hawaii next week to observe Fiji forces in Exercise
Tafakula. We understand retired LtCol. Bill Serevakula, a
very respected officer now with the UN, who is back in Fiji
temporarily, talked with Bainimarama today about "exit
strategies" to ease civil-military tensions. We hope he was
successful, and we will report any details ASAP. For now,
Suva is calm.
DINGER