Towards 2006
The UPP announced on 28 June 2005 that Josephine Raikuna Williams, the former Mayor of Nadi, would be a candidate for the party at the general election expected to be held in 2006.
The Fijian electoral system employs the so-called alternate ballot, whereby votes cast for low-polling candidates may be transferred to higher-polling candidates according to the ranking specified by the candidate, which may be customized by the individual voter. It is usual, therefore, for parties to negotiate preference deals before elections. Mick Beddoes emphasized on 8 September 2005 that any such agreement with the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) or the National Alliance Party (NAPF) would have to be favourable to UPP candidates. They did not want to be caught, he said, in a situation in which the UPP merely collected votes to benefit other parties. He also said that some executives of the UPP were opposed to making any deals with other parties.
On 18 September, however, Beddoes announced that he was negotiating with FLP about the possibility of an electoral coalition. He also intended to negotiate with the National Alliance Party and possibly the National Federation Party, he said. On 16 October, he said that negotiations between the UPP and the FLP had finalized a deal, and that the UPP executive had endorsed it the day before. "We share similar positions on issues of unemployment, poverty alleviation, health and other areas. It is also based on our belief in the rights of all our citizens and their need for equality under the law," Beddoes said. The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding on 2 December, agreeing to exchange preferences at the 2006 election. The agreement called for a joint manifesto to be drawn up, but left open the possibility of each party contesting any or all of the 71 seats separately, or of fielding joint candidates by mutual agreement. The agreement also left open the possibility of other parties joining the coalition.
Beddoes had earlier announced on 10 October that the party hoped to field a full slate of candidates, comprising 36 indigenous Fijians, 26 Indo-Fijians, and 1 Rotuman, with each of the country's eight principal minority communities represented by one candidate each. Negotiations towards forming a coalition with other parties were ongoing, he said, but no final decision had been taken.
The coalition agreement with the FLP did not exclude deals with other parties, Beddoes emphasized on 15 December 2005. Talks with other parties about electoral pacts were continuing, he said.
The party won at the Fiji election of 2006 1% and 2 out of 71 seats.
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