Instead, the Governor-General, Ratu Sir George Cakobau, called on Mara to form a caretaker government, pending new elections scheduled for September.
A prominent NFP parliamentarian, Jai Ram Reddy, wondered aloud on national radio whether his party was ready to form a government, and whether it would in fact be able to do so.
"There is also some basis to the story that Karam Ramrakha and Irene Jai Narayan had informed Ratu Sir George secretly that Koya did not enjoy the support of all NFP parliamentarians.
In a public statement, Ratu Sir George Cakobau defended his actions thus: In the recent general election, the people of Fiji did not give a clear mandate to either of the major political parties.
The Governor-General, after taking all relevant circumstances into account, has come to the firm conclusion that the person best able to command support of the majority of the Members is the Leader of the Alliance Party, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.