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Fijians go the polls May 6-13 for parliamentary elections. Tensions between current Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's indigenous Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua (SDL) and ousted Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry's Indo-Fijian-dominated Fiji Labor Party have given rise to fears of a coup and have exacerbated racial tensions between the indigenous Fijian majority (51 percent of the population) and the Indo-Fijian minority.
Furthermore, Qarase is engaged in a battle of words with military head Commodore Frank Bainimarama. After Chaudhry was ousted in a coup in 2000, Bainimarama organized a countercoup. The military chief has become a major player in the current campaign, and his ongoing tense interaction with Qarase will define the new elections' outcome.
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