Fijian general election, 1982
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General elections were held in Fiji between 10 and 17 July 1982.[1] The paradoxical results were both a triumph and a setback for the Alliance Party of the Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. The Alliance captured 51.8 percent of the popular vote, only slightly down on its previous total, but won only 28 seats, 8 fewer than at the previous election of September 1977. Part of the reason for this discrepancy was that the slight surge in support for Ratu Mara's Alliance in the Indo-Fijian community, from 14 percent to 16 percent, was not sufficient to translate into seats in Fiji's communal electoral system, and did not therefore off-set losses among the ethnic Fijian community, particularly in the west of the country. The Western United Front of Ratu Osea Gavidi won only two seats, but split the vote, allowing the National Federation party (NFP), with which it tactically allied itself, to pick up six seats for a total of 22. Moreover, the NFP, which had split into two factions before the previous election, had reunited by now.
Results
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alliance Party | 507,163 | 51.8 | 28 | -8 |
National Federation Party | 403,548 | 41.2 | 22 | +7 |
Western United Front | 37,266 | 3.8 | 2 | New |
Fijian Nationalist Party | 27,329 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 |
Independents | 3,903 | 0.4 | 0 | -1 |
Invalid/blank votes | 19,605 | - | - | - |
Total | 998,814 | 100 | 52 | 0 |
Source: Nohlen et al. |
References
- ↑ Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p653 ISBN 0-19-924959-8