Fiji's ruling party ahead in general election

Suva, Sep 18: Fiji's ruling party, FijiFirst, led by interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has secured around 60 percent of the votes in the country's first general elections since the 2006 military coup.

Supervisor of elections Mohammad Saneem announced provisional results from 1,244 polling stations, Fiji Times reported Thursday.

Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) is currently second with 106,406 votes, accounting for 26.7 percent. National Federation Party (NFP) is third with 21,910 votes (5.7 percent) while People's Democratic Party (PDP) is fourth with 3.5 percent.

Fiji Labour Party (FLP) led by Indian origin leader Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is struggling with just 9,256 votes.

Ethnic Indians comprise 37 percent of Fiji's population of nearly 870,000. Most of them are descendants of indentured labourers who were brought from India between 1879 and 1916 to work in the country's sugarcane plantations.

IANS