Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni spoke out on 7 February to deny rumours, reported on Radio Gold, that the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, had pressured the President into offering himself for reappointment despite his advanced age and ambiguous health.
National Alliance Party (NAPF) President Ratu Epeli Ganilau, a former Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs, said on 7 February that the Great Council should be left in peace to make its decision, which should be fully respected, as it was their prerogative to choose the President.