Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed as Fiji prime minister after close election

Sitiveni Rabuka was confirmed as Fiji's next prime minister on Saturday more than two decades after the former military commander first held the office in a term lasting nearly seven years.

The 74-year-old won the nomination by one vote over incumbent Frank Bainimarama at a sitting of the Fijian Parliament in Suva.

Rabuka, the head of the People's Alliance Party, was elevated to the position after forming a majority coalition with two other parties following last week's close and contentious election.

He will be officially sworn in later Saturday at Government House.

The tripartite coalition had announced on Tuesday its intention to form a government with a combined 29 seats compared to the 26 held by Bainimarama's Fiji First Party.

The People's Alliance Party and affiliated National Federation Party shared 26 seats but were able to form an alliance with the Social Democrat Liberal Party to break the deadlock.

But Bainimarama, who had served as Fiji's prime minister for almost 16