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SUVA, Fiji (AP) - Fiji's military, which seized power in a coup last December, could rule the South Pacific country for as long as five years or as short as 12 months before restoring democracy, a delegation of regional officials has been told.
Members of a so-called "eminent persons group" from Australia and some of Fiji's Pacific neighbors on Thursday completed a four-day mission to consult with officials from Fiji's military, its ousted government and other influential groups about how to restore democracy.
Military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who appointed an interim government with himself as prime minister after ousting elected leader Laisenia Qarase on Dec. 5, has promised to call elections to restore democracy, but not until he has completed what he calls a campaign to clean up corruption that he alleges was allowed to fester.
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