By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) - People in Fiji on Wednesday voted to elect a new government.
Around 342 candidates are vying for 51 parliament seats for a four-year term. Inflation and unemployment are the two major issues facing the local populace.
The voting closed at 6 p.m. (0600GMT).
It is the third democratic election in the Pacific Island nation of over 912,000 population where Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama’s FijiFirst party is standing against a coalition, People's Alliance Party, led by former Premier Sitiveni Rabuka.
Bainimarama, 68, had seized power in a coup in 2006 but introduced a new constitution in 2013 and later his party won elections in 2014 and 2018.