28 Mar 2006

Fiji's New Labour in coalition with FLP

3:35 pm on 28 March 2006

The remnants of Fiji's breakaway New Labour Unity Party have entered into a coalition with their parent party, Labour.

New Labour was formed by onetime deputy leader of the Labour Party, Dr Tupeni Baba, after a failed leadership struggle with the Labour leader, Mahendra Chaudhry.

Dr Baba lost the 2001 election while of the two successful members of New Labour, Kenneth Zinck joined the government as a cabinet minister and Ofa Swann remained in the opposition.

Dr Baba himself has now joined the ruling SDL and will be fighting the election as one of its candidates.

One of the founder members of New Labour and its general secretary, Tomasi Tokalauvere, says they prefer to go into coalition with Labour because they share similar policies.