Inia Batikoto Seruiratu
Inia Seruiratu leads the Opposition and the seven-month-old People’s First Party. A former RFMF Colonel, four Cabinet portfolios under the previous government and is now the chief challenger.
People's First Party · Parliament of Fiji
Inia Batikoto Seruiratu is a Fijian politician, former military officer, and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Fiji. He is the inaugural leader of the People's First Party, which he launched on 1 August 2026 at Korovuto College in Nadi. He has been Leader of the Opposition since 29 March 2023, succeeding former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama in that role.
He is married to Litea Vulakoro, and they have three children.
Seruiratu built a long career in the Fiji Infantry Regiment of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, retiring at the rank of Colonel. He contested the 2014 general election as a FijiFirst candidate and was elected to Parliament. Prime Minister Bainimarama appointed him Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Rural and Maritime Development, and later National Disaster Management.
Across the FijiFirst years he held some of the most senior portfolios in Cabinet. He was Minister for Defence and National Security from 22 November 2018 to 24 December 2022. He also served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 28 January 2019 to 21 April 2020. From 21 April 2020 to 24 December 2022 he held the Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management portfolios, including during the national COVID-19 response.
He was re-elected in 2022 as a FijiFirst MP, polling 1,221 votes (FEO Official Results, ballot 239). FijiFirst won the largest single-party share (26 seats) but was unable to form government, and Bainimarama ceased to be Prime Minister after sixteen years.
On 29 March 2023, Seruiratu was elected Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, replacing Bainimarama, who had resigned his seat on 10 March 2023. Parveen Bala serves as his Deputy.
Following the deregistration of FijiFirst in 2024, Seruiratu remained in Parliament as an independent. In August 2024 the opposition split into two blocs: one led by Seruiratu, and the Group of 9 bloc led by Ioane Naivalurua, six of whose members subsequently crossed to the Rabuka Government in January 2025. Seruiratu retained the Leader of the Opposition role throughout.
On 19 January 2026 he was appointed inaugural Leader of the People's First Party, with former FijiFirst Minister Jone Usamate as Deputy Leader. The party was registered as Fiji's newest political party.
| Party | People's First Party (Leader since 19 January 2026); formerly FijiFirst (2014–2024); Independent (2024–2026) |
| Electoral basis | FijiFirst list MP in 2022. 1,221 personal votes. Will contest 2026 under People's First Party. |
| In Parliament since | 2014 |
| Current role | Leader of the Opposition (29 March 2023 to present); Leader, People's First Party (19 January 2026 to present) |
| Previous ministerial roles | Minister for Defence and National Security (2018–2022); Minister for Foreign Affairs (2019–2020); Minister for Rural and Maritime Development, and Disaster Management (2020–2022); Minister for Agriculture (2014–2018) |
| Career background | Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Fiji Infantry Regiment; retired at rank of Colonel |
| Deputy | Parveen Bala (Opposition); Jone Usamate (People's First Party) |
Seruiratu formally launched the People's First Party on 1 August 2026 at Korovuto College in Nadi, under the slogan "Not power, not privilege; the people." The party's five stated guiding principles are respect, service ahead of self, firm integrity, national unity, and long-term progress. Its stated priorities are tighter fiscal management, sustainable growth, support for local businesses and small enterprises, targeted cost-of-living relief, and increased investment in regional and rural development.
At the launch the party unveiled 15 provisional candidates. Jone Usamate serves as Deputy Leader. Parveen Bala, Seruiratu's deputy in Opposition, is among the senior figures associated with the party. Seruiratu has described the party as having "broken clean" from the former FijiFirst leadership, while others have argued it inherits that party's political legacy.
The party was formally registered following a proposal phase in which signature collection reached 5,000 (Fiji Sun, early 2026). Seruiratu was appointed its inaugural leader on 19 January 2026.
As Leader of the Opposition, Seruiratu has been consistently vocal on the Rabuka Government's handling of the 2026 election timetable, the Constitutional Review Commission process, and successive Cabinet turbulence. He has repeatedly questioned when the General Election would be held, as the earliest constitutional writ date (24 June 2026) passed without the writ being issued. He has pointed to the deferral of the Municipal Council elections as a worrying sign of possible broader deferment.
In parliamentary debate he has raised concerns about the Narcotics Bureau's internal integrity, cost-of-living pressures following the government's fiscal measures, and the standing of institutions through two Deputy Prime Ministerial FICAC proceedings (Kamikamica, since acquitted; Prasad, in trial).
He has publicly stated he will remain in Opposition rather than cross the floor, saying the Government must be kept in check.
Seruiratu is the only sitting Opposition Leader in Fiji's current Parliament who will enter the 2026 election as leader of a brand-new party. People's First Party is seven months old, campaigning on a self-styled break from FijiFirst with a provisional roster of 15 candidates at launch. The question is whether a party that new, with a leader who held senior Cabinet office under Bainimarama for eight years, can credibly present as a clean break to voters who remember both.
The second question is the Rabuka Government's own fragility. Prasad is on trial. Kamikamica is back in Cabinet after acquittal. Qereqeretabua is stepping back. The current Coalition's turbulence has given Seruiratu rhetorical ground he did not have in 2022. Whether People's First Party can convert that into seats depends on candidate quality, Pacific Island constituency ground game, and whether the Group of 9 defections to the Government in 2025 have left any opposition infrastructure outside PA's reach.
The writ is now expected between early November and 24 December 2026, with polling by 6 February 2027. Seruiratu enters the campaign as the most senior opposition figure Fiji has.
⚠ FPR welcomes corrections: editor@fijipoliticalreview.com
