VZCZCXRO4051
PP RUEHPB
DE RUEHSV #0206/01 1350249
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 150249Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY SUVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3087
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1211
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 0830
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1005
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 000206 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR PINS PINR ASEC FJ
SUBJECT: FIJI'S ELECTION: ALL IS CALM AS COUNTING BEGINS 
 
REF: SUVA 202 (AND PREVIOUS) 
 
Classified By: Amb. Dinger.  Sec. 1.4 (B,D). 
 
Summary 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
¶1. (C)  Voting has ended in Fiji's national election, and all 
remains peaceful as counting begins today, May 15.  Some of 
the smaller constituencies with a dominant favorite will know 
results today.  A number of swing constituencies are not 
likely to have a first-ballot victor and will require 
counting of preferences.  Those results could take several 
days.  Election turnout, though mandatory, was light.  Both 
Prime Minister Qarase and Opposition Leader Chaudhry are 
claiming victory, but the reality is that nobody really 
knows.  Newspaper editorials are urging the public to accept 
the result, no matter who wins.  Historically, the people of 
Fiji have done just that, initially.  Per past reporting, 
instability is possible under either a Qarase or Chaudhry 
scenario, but it would likely take a while to form, would not 
be directed at Americans or other Westerners, and, if history 
is a guide, would be short-lived.  Police and military are 
consulting on contingencies.  Military Commander Bainimarama 
seems confident of a Chaudhry victory.  He has travel plans 
abroad for the next two weeks.  Media reports of Australian 
contingency planning for an evacuation have caught people's 
attention; but few in Fiji can imagine such a need.  End 
Summary. 
 
A calm atmosphere and a light turnout 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶2. (U)   Voting in Fiji took place at over 1000 polling 
places across seven days.  The scenes were peaceful 
everywhere.  Embassy Suva observed dozens of polling places 
on three of the main islands.  Media generally had good 
access to polling sites, and we received prominent media 
coverage of our effort.  The EU, Commonwealth, Pacific Forum, 
and USP all had observers as well.  The EU, in particular, 
has been doing a thorough job of watching the numbers and 
procedures.  Police were visibly present, but there was no 
sense of tension.  RFMF troops, while not visible, were 
presumably keeping an eye on things as well.  RFMF Commander 
Bainimarama was silent all week. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Turnout was light, especially considering that 
voting is mandatory under the Constitution.  One explanation 
is that the Commissioner of Elections informed the public 
before voting commenced that no fines would be imposed this 
year.  Other possible explanations are that some voters 
didn't like the main choices (Qarase and Chaudhry) and that 
some ethnic Indians have given up on voting after the 
Indian-oriented winners in 1987 and 1999 later were removed 
by coups.  The Elections Office reports provisionally that 
299,000 voters went to the polls out of 496,000 registered, 
about 60%.  The elections website says about 79% voted in 
¶2001.  The eventual totals broken down by constituencies will 
provide an indication of which populations did and did not 
vote in large numbers.  Rural ethnic-Fijians apparently 
turned out, but most of the seats they voted for would be SDL 
wins in any case. 
 
Mis-registration a worry 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
¶4. (C)  The biggest problems with voting were hundreds, maybe 
even a few thousands, of people, mostly ethnic Indians, who 
had proof they registered but who were not listed on the 
rolls at all or were listed in the wrong constituencies. 
Whether or not such "errors" affect the count will depend on 
how close some races are.  Interestingly, the constituencies 
in which the largest discrepancies appear to have occurred 
are where the two ethnic-Indian parties, the FLP and NFP, 
compete the fiercest. 
 
Who won?  Results may take a few days 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
¶5. (SBU)  We presume the keys to victory will be about 9 open 
seats, 7 of them in the Suva-Nausori corridor.  Results for 
most of those seats, which very likely will require the 
complicated counting of preferences, will not be known until 
Tuesday at the earliest.  Counting commenced this morning 
(Monday) at 8 a.m. in four counting centers: Lautoka, Labasa, 
and 2 in Suva.  As was true for the voting, the counting is a 
plodding, detail-oriented process in Fiji.  Party, 
international, and media observers are watching every step. 
As of COB, verification of ballot numbers had taken all day 
for many constituencies, with a first count of actual votes 
just commencing.  Police are charged to maintain 24-hour 
oversight of ballot boxes.  In past elections, there were 
claims of stuffed or exchanged ballot boxes.  Chaudhry has 
 
SUVA 00000206  002 OF 002 
 
 
alleged many extra ballot papers were printed this year, 
presumably for ballot-stuffing purposes.  Ongoing Police 
investigations to date have not supported the allegation. 
 
¶6. (U)  Qarase has predicted the SDL will win 42 seats. 
Chaudhry has predicted the FLP will win more than the 36 
required to form a government.  Nobody really knows.  We 
observed that quite a few young ethnic-Fijians appeared at 
FLP voter sheds.  Certainly the FLP and SDL sheds had the 
most traffic country-wide.  However, veteran pols say 
attendance at party sheds is not a good prediction for actual 
voting patterns.  "People will accept your ride to the polls 
and will drink your kava, but then may vote for someone else." 
 
Calls to accept results, no matter who wins 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
¶7. (C)  All three national newspapers had editorials over the 
weekend urging the population to accept the result of the 
polls, no matter which party wins government.  Historically, 
Fiji citizens have accepted the results with initial calm, 
even in 1987 and 1999.  If Chaudhry's FLP wins, the demeanor 
of ethnic-Fijian nationalists will be tested yet again.  We 
do not expect an immediate, strong reaction in the streets 
this time either, though we will certainly remain watchful. 
If Qarase's SDL wins, the RFMF will be the wild card. 
Commodore Bainimarama has suggested that he would await 
formation of the new Qarase government and gauge the new 
government's policies before deciding whether to intervene. 
Qarase has indicated publicly that he intends to "sort out" 
RFMF insubordination if he returns to power.  If "sorting 
out" threatens Bainimarama, a coup attempt could quickly 
result.  Thus, either an SDL or FLP scenario could bring a 
degree of instability at some point, though there is 
absolutely no indication that such instability would be aimed 
at American or other Western interests. 
 
If instability occurs, Fiji aims to handle it 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
¶8. (C)  If instability does occur, we expect it would be 
short-lived, with Fiji authorities in the "Fijian way" 
working things out without foreign intervention.  Police 
Commissioner Hughes and Commodore Bainimarama are consulting 
about contingency plans for any disturbances.  Bainimarama 
reportedly plans to visit the Solomon Islands this week and 
may visit Honolulu next week, indicators that he does not 
expect immediate difficulties.  We are told he is very 
confident that Qarase's SDL will meet defeat at the polls. 
A Sydney Morning Herald article suggesting Australian 
contingency planning for an evacuation exercise in Fiji has 
caught some media attention here.  Bainimarama has refused 
comment, for now.  Few people in Fiji can imagine a 
circumstance under which such an evacuation would be 
necessary.  While Fiji has had its unfortunate history of 
coups with a short spurt of street violence in 2000, it has 
never descended into true chaos. 
DINGER