Fiji in limbo as horse-trading begins

By CNN's Grant Holloway

SUVA, Fiji (CNN) -- The make-up of Fiji's government and the fate of jailed coup plotter George Speight may not be decided until next week after an inconclusive national poll.

With just one seat left to be decided, a coalition government led by caretaker prime minister Laisenia Qarase is the most likely outcome.

But still undecided is the role to be played by Speight and his Matanitu Vanua/Conservative Alliance Party, which gained six seats in the parliament.

That party has, as part of its manifesto, a demand that Speight be granted amnesty for his actions in attempting to overthrow the government of Mahendra Chaudhry.

Qarese, who looks to have won 31 of the 71 seats, may be able to stitch up a coalition with minor parties and independents that excludes MV, but that outcome is not assured.

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Qarese's Soqosoqo Duavata Ni Lewenivanua (SDL) party may yet have to rely on MV support to govern, an outcome that would necessitate doing a deal on the fate of Speight, who himself has won a seat in the parliament.

Speight and others took ethnic Indian Chaudhry and his government hostage for 56 days in May last year.

So far, Chaudhry's Fiji Labour Party has 27 seats, SDL 30, MV 6 and others 7.

Qarese said Thursday he wants Speight's future to be decided by the rule of law.

The Fiji Labour Party has ruled out having any dealings with MV because of its policy on Speight, effectively consigning itself to the opposition benches.

Amnesty not unprecedented

Speight is currently imprisoned and undergoing trial on treason charges.

The only person who can grant Speight an amnesty is Fiji's President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, who is appointed by Fiji's indigenous Great Council of Chiefs, and not by parliament.

Political analysts in Fiji suggested to CNN a SDL/MV coalition could well pressure the president to honor an earlier amnesty agreement for Speight and his fellow accused.

Such an amnesty for coup activity is not unprecedented in Fiji with one having already been granted for former leader Sitiveni Rabuka after he overthrew the Fiji Government in 1987.

Vote-rigging charges

Voting in this election has split sharply down ethnic lines with Fiji's Indian population supporting Chaudhry and indigenous Fijians backing Qarese or the Conservative Alliance.

Of Fiji's population of more than 830,000, about 44 percent are of Indian ethnic origin.

Chaudhry said Thursday he suspected there had been widespread vote-rigging elections held last week, charges which have been dismissed by independent election scrutineers.

"I suspect there has been a widespread attempt to rig the vote and influence the result of the 2001 election," Chaudhry said.

Althought there was an unusually high invalid vote in these elections, Supervisor of Elections Walter Rigamoto said Thursday he was satisfied there had been no tampering.

Given the size of the voting population and the checks and balances in place, he said there was no way votes could have been tampered with or the election rigged.