Power battle looming for Mahendra Chaudhry

Fiji's ousted Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry is in danger of losing his job as leader of the Fiji Labour Party.

In a Radio New Zealand interview today, Fiji's deposed deputy Prime Minister, Doctor Tupeni Baba, said members of the Labour Party did not want Chaudhry to be reinstated as Prime Minister should the Court of Appeal uphold a High Court ruling that the country's interim government is illegal.

Justice Anthony Gates said in November that Fiji's 1997 multi-racial constitution was still valid despite being abrogated after the coup that deposed Chaudhry last May.

The interim government has appealed the decision and the case will be heard in the Court of Appeal on February 19.

If Justice Gates' ruling stands, Doctor Baba said it was unlikely that Chaudhry would be Prime Minister in light of opposition by the Fijian people during his rule.

The Fiji Labour Party will choose a leader at a caucus early next month.