An academic says the conviction of the Fiji Labour Party leader means the regime leader, Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama, has an added edge in the elections promised for September.
A former Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, has been found guilty of breaching the Exchange Controls Act and will likely face a jail term.
An Auckland University academic, Steven Ratuva, says Mr Chaudhry was the only obvious leader in the Labour Party, and without him, the party's influence will reduce considerably.
Dr Ratuva says now the Fiji Labour Party leader is out, it is a competition between the National Federation Party and Rear Admiral Bainimarama's proposed Fiji First party to win the Indo-Fijian vote.
"The National Federation Party will have to work very hard to be able to compete, particularly in relation to issues of development and also how they will provide the security for the Indo-Fijians, particularly in the long-run. It's a matter of being able to come up with something better, something much more innovative than what the Fiji First has been doing."
Steven Ratuva says by demonising former politicians, Rear Admiral Bainimarama is giving himself the moral high ground.
