What happened when Frank Bainimarama seized power in Fiji in 2006?

When Frank Bainimarama seized power in Fiji on December 5, 2006, he effectively took control of the government, dissolved parliament, and deposed President Ratu Josefa Iloilo to install himself as acting president.1

The takeover followed a period of intense conflict between Bainimarama and the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Bainimarama had demanded the withdrawal of legislation that would have granted amnesty to participants of the 2000 coup and called for the dismissal of the police commissioner. When the government failed to meet these demands, the military intervened.1

While supporters argued the coup was necessary to address corruption within Qarase’s administration, critics suggested it was motivated by Bainimarama’s desire to avoid a government investigation into his alleged mismanagement of military funds. Following the seizure, Bainimarama reinstated Iloilo as president in January 2007 and assumed the role of interim prime minister. He subsequently dissolved the Great Council of Chiefs and postponed promised democratic elections for several years, initiating a period of military-led governance that lasted until the 2014 elections.12