Fijians vote in election between 2 former coup leaders

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Fijians voted Wednesday in an election that pitted two former military coup leaders against each other at a time the nation is trying to recover from a severe economic downturn. Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is seeking to extend his 16-year hold on power. He first seized the top job by force in 2006 and later refashioned himself as a democratic leader by introducing a new constitution and winning elections in 2014 and again — but by a reduced margin — in 2018. Running against him is Sitiveni Rabuka, who led Fiji’s first military coup in 1987 and later served as elected prime minister in the 1990s.