How did Sitiveni Rabuka become prime minister again in 2022?

In the December 14, 2022, parliamentary elections, the FijiFirst party, led by incumbent prime minister Frank Bainimarama, won the most seats but failed to secure an outright majority.1

Sitiveni Rabuka, the leader of the People’s Alliance party, successfully formed a coalition with the National Federation Party. To secure the necessary majority to govern, this coalition then formed a last-minute alliance with the Social Democratic Liberal Party. In the subsequent parliamentary vote for the premiership held on December 24, 2022, Rabuka defeated Bainimarama by a single vote and was sworn in as prime minister that same day.1