Ousted PM: Fiji sliding toward 'worst kind of dictatorship'

Fiji’s ousted prime minister today said the South Pacific country was sliding toward “the worst kind of dictatorship”, and offered to hold talks with the military regime to find a way to restore democracy as quickly as possible.

Coup leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama did not respond directly to Laisenia Qarase’s offer of talks, but accused the deposed leader of trying to formulate a government in exile from the capital and warned the military would not tolerate any challenge to its authority.