Two men who led different military coups in Fiji are battling for control of the island nation in a general election on Wednesday.
Opinion polls indicate Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama is poised to win a second term after he first held democratic elections in 2014, eight years after he seized power in a coup.
His main opponent is Sitiveni Rabuka, who led two military coups in the 1980s before serving for seven years as prime minister. Just this week, a judge cleared Rabuka of an electoral disclosure violation in a case many viewed as being politically motivated.
Fiji has not allowed the political tensions to affect its vital tourism industry, which promotes the Pacific nation's pristine, sunny beaches and friendly, welcoming people.
Given the history of coups, political stability has been a big issue leading up to the election, as have racial tensions and economic issues.
"Bainimarama does look set to secure his second victory at the polls and has already led the country for 13 years through a period of relative stability," said Jonathan Pryke, the director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank.
Many people in the nation of 920,000 seem appreciative of the economic gains they've made under Bainimarama.
"There are no school fees. Before, I paid a couple hundred for school fees," said Mere Rigamoto, a 42-year-old mother of three boys. "Bainimarama's government is not bad. He's OK."
"His legislation has made campaigning on race, or even having a racially based party, illegal." On the campaign trail,
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