Rain closes some polling venues as Fiji elects new leader

Fiji’s election office has closed some polling venues due to heavy rains as voters in the Pacific nation choose a new leader.

The Fiji Times said the Elections Office had closed 17 polling venues, affecting some 6,000 voters, Wednesday. The Times said they would get a chance to vote later.

Opinion polls indicate Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama is poised to win a second term after he first held democratic elections in 2014, eight years after he seized power in a coup.

His main opponent is Sitiveni Rabuka, who led two military coups in the 1980s before serving for seven years as prime minister.

Polls close at 6 p.m. (0500 GMT).