Fijian municipal election, 2002

Fiji's municipal elections of October 2002 produced results that allowed three major political parties, the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua (SDL), the Fiji Labour Party (FLP), and the National Federation Party (NFP) to claim a victory of sorts. The elections, which take place every three years, were for two city councils and ten town councils throughout Fiji.

The results showed considerable variation from one municipality to another, indicating that local rather than national issues played a prominent role in the election. The NFP, which suffered disastrous defeats in the national elections of 1999 and 2001, failing to win a single seat in the House of Representatives, remained strong at the municipal level, while the SDL and the FLP, despite their fierce and sometimes bitter rivalry in national politics, forged an alliance after the election to control the Suva City Council.

The Ratepayers Alliance, a coalition dominated by the NFP, won 8 of the 20 seats on the Suva City Council. The SDL won 7 and the FLP, 5. The Ratepayers Alliance and the SDL initially formed a coalition to reelect Chandu Umaria as Lord Mayor, but the coalition fell apart a year later when the SDL forged an alliance with the FLP to elect Ratu Peni Volavola to the office.

FLP support was concentrated in the Samabula Ward, where it won all five seats. In previous municipal election, held in 1999 the FLP had won no seats on the city council.

The NFP retained its hold on the Nadi Town Council, winning 10 of the 15 seats. The other 5 seats, all from the Martintar Ward, were won by the FLP, which had won no seats in 1999.

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