Fiji parties say election count should stop after glitch

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The leaders of four political parties contesting Fiji’s general election called for an immediate halt to vote-counting after the online results app experienced a glitch and then the next batch of results swung in favor of the incumbent prime minister. The Pacific election has pitted two former military coup leaders against each other. The latest events threaten Fiji’s delicate democracy, which has been marred by four military coups in the past 35 years. In this election, Sitiveni Rabuka, who led the first coup in 1987, has emerged as the main challenger to Frank Bainimarama, who has held power for the past 16 years.