Ritika Pratap 
Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka
Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka believes that, in the future, political parties will need to enter into coalition agreements to form a government.
Gavoka states that the era of a single party dominating or securing the majority of seats in parliament is over, citing New Zealand as an example of a country with a long history of coalition governments.
“And I think these four parties (SODELPA, NFP, PA, FijiFirst) will continue to dominate the politics of the future. And things will shift in terms of numbers. You know, you never know in 2026 how the numbers will pan out. But I believe at the end of the day in 2026 will still need Coalition.”
Gavoka’s Social Democratic Liberal Party played a pivotal role as the kingmaker in the last General Election.
With three members qualifying to enter parliament following last December’s election, the party had the power to decide who forms the next government.
SODELPA chose to join the People’s Alliance and the National Federation Party, and Gavoka expresses satisfaction with how things have progressed during their one-year journey.
Gavoka emphasizes that 2023 has been a learning process for all cabinet members on how to manage a coalition.
“Yes, there’s been a few snags along the way. But people are not afraid. You know, and that freedom element, you know, contributes into the building of the other country. People have all this goodwill, you know, you want to come together and do things together. And that, to me, is the most significant contribution by the coalition government.”
Gavoka says that coalition cabinet ministers are coordinating well, benefiting from a balanced leadership team.
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