The future of Fiji's indigenous government was in doubt...

The future of Fiji's indigenous government was in doubt after a court ruled it must include the ethnic Indian-dominated Labour party of Mahendra Chaudhry, who was ousted in a racially inspired 2000 coup.
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase refused to include Chaudhry and his mainly ethnic Indian party in his cabinet after winning the September 2001 post-coup election and has threatened to resign before allowing ethnic Indians into office.
Coup-leader George Speight and 13 others involved in the coup, face the death penalty if convicted, but the government has said it wants to abolish the death penalty for treason.
On May 19, 2000, Speight led gunmen into parliament in the name of indigenous rights and held Chaudhry, Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister, and most of his multi-racial cabinet hostage for 56 days, only releasing them once the army agreed to appoint an all-indigenous caretaker government.