Violence against Fiji Indians' homes and businesses following the general election has triggered concerns, with Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama calling the reports "deeply disturbing."
In a bid to quell the civil unrest, military forces were deployed to support the police in maintaining law and order in the country.
“These attacks — which are no doubt fueled by racist vitriol on social media — must end,” the FijiFirst party leader said in a post shared online after reports emerged about ethnic Indians' houses being pelted with stones in the Southern Division of the country.
Fiji Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho called it a "consensus decision" based on official reports and intel gathered.
Governing FijiFirst Makes First Announcement Following Elections
The military deployment took place less than 24 hours after the governing FijiFirst party made its first public statement since the December 14 election.
Fiji has a history of military coups, with four occurring in the past 35 years.
On Wednesday, FijiFirst General Secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum accused People’s Alliance leader Sitiveni Rabuka of inciting racial tension and disharmony, a claim the party denies.
While a coalition of three parties has agreed to appoint Rabuka as prime minister, FijiFirst has yet to concede defeat.
The leader of the National Federation party, a coalition partner, Biman Prasad, stated that FijiFirst is "attempting to instill fear in people" and the party's leader should accept the election result.
“He is not accepting they lost this election, people voted for change,” Prasad said.
The Rabuka-led coalition holds 29 seats in parliament, with the People's Alliance Party as the major partner with 21 seats. The National Federation Party won five seats, the Social Democratic Liberal Party won three, and FijiFirst, led by Bainimarama, secured 26 seats.