Fiji:Fiji's military-appointed caretaker prime minister says elections may be two years away after this week's bloodless coup, as the island nation's tribal chiefs called on soldiers to lay down their arms.
Fiji's great council of chiefs, the country's traditional authority, opposes Tuesday's military ousting of prime minister Laisenia Qarase, calling it unlawful.
Fijians were asked to wear black yesterday in protest at the takeover, Mr Qarase called for non-violent protests and Australia and New Zealand encouraged Fijians to engage in passive resistance to restore democracy.
However, military commander Frank Bainimarama has said he is prepared to use force to suppress any uprising against his move. Troops continued to round up public officials opposed to the coup and the military chief has sacked at least six senior officials, including the police commissioner and his deputy.
Caretaker prime minister Jona Baravilala Senilagakali, a military doctor and Methodist lay preacher, said the military would determine the timing of elections in the south Pacific nation, which has now seen four coups in 20 years.
"It will totally be up to the military president and the military advisers to return Fiji back to normalcy. That could be tomorrow, that could be next week, it could be in the next two years or more."
Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the US have imposed sanctions against Fiji.
"For all its flaws and the fact that it was struggling in many ways, Fiji had re-embraced democracy and what's happened is wrong, it's brutal and it's an unlawful military takeover," Australian prime minister John Howard said.
Mr Senilagakali said Fiji would seek assistance from Asia to circumvent sanctions, just as it did following a 1987 coup.