The original version of this chapter was written before the general elections of 1992 – the first held after the 1987 coup. There has since been another round of elections in 1994, occasioned by the failure of Rabuka’s government to have the budget passed. The text has been modified slightly to take account of these events, but it is worth elaborating a few further points. The 1992 elections held some surprises for those expecting that the ‘party of the chiefs’ would make a clean sweep of the Fijian seats. Under the leadership of Rabuka, who succeeded in replacing Mara as the effective leader of the Fijian party on the latter’s retirement, the party (officially called the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei or SVT) failed to gain an absolute majority of seats in the House of Representatives. Seven of the Fijian seats went to opposing Fijian parties and independents. The Fiji Indian seats were fairly evenly divided between Labour and the National Federation Party, while the General Voters’ Party (which is basically supportive of the SVT, although not necessarily of Rabuka himself), won all five of the General Voters’ seats. Rabuka subsequently secured sufficient support from other parties and independents to gain the president’s endorsement as prime minister. Rabuka’s SVT government, however, lasted just over eighteen months before it fell. This was precipitated by the defection of seven SVT ministers, and followed a period of intense dissent within the government’s ranks. Rabuka’s party was returned at the next elections with the same majority, and again managed to put together a coalition, but the overall result confirmed that intra-Fijian disunity has become an important factor in current politics. Both elections have shown that the chiefly establishment has been sidelined to some extent in terms of electoral office, but their constitutional powers and prestige remain significant, as does the rhetoric of chiefly traditions.