FIJI’S ELECTORAL STRATEGIES: A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Authors

Sanjay Ramesh, University of SydneyFollow

Abstract

This article analyzes Fiji’s electoral projects by comparing Fiji’s electoral experiences with those of South Africa, Namibia, Guyana, and Suriname. I argue that Fiji’s electoral project of the 1990s was fraught with difficulty because it failed to reconcile competing communal and reformist positions within the democratic framework established by the 1997 Fiji Constitution. As a result, the electoral project of the 1990s failed, resulting in further coups in 2000 and 2006, with the political designers reframing the political agenda and adopting a proportional system of governance to promote national identity and interethnic collaboration following the 2006 coup. However, I contend that while a proportional electoral outcome was achieved in the 2014 general elections, the political and institutional structures, in particular the parliamentary committees, remain underdeveloped, resulting in a continued partisan and confrontational political landscape with potential for further conflict and instability.

Recommended Citation

Ramesh, Sanjay (2015) "FIJI’S ELECTORAL STRATEGIES: A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 38: No. 3, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol38/iss3/2