Fiji’s interim Prime Minister and regime leader Frank Bainimarama has promised he will accept the results of next month’s elections in his country if he doesn’t win.

Fiji goes to the polls on September 17.

Bainimarama has told Fiji-born New Zealand blogger Cameron Slater on his contrversial Whale Oil site that he’s ready to accept the result next month if things don’t go his way.

“Either I become the leader of the opposition, or I go and enjoy the rest of my life with my 14 grandchildren,” he said.

But he had earlier told talkback listeners on Auckland’s Radio Tarana that he’s out to win all the parliamentary seats in the first elections to be held since his 2006 coup.

“I don’t want even a little chance of the other political parties winning one seat or two seats. I need all 50 seats,” he said.

And opinion polls run by Fiji media are telling the regime leader’s grandchildren not to get too excited about the prospect of having granddad at their beck and call anytime soon.

A weekend Tebbutt-Fiji Times opinion poll shows 60 per cent of Fijians support Bainimarama as preferred prime minister, well ahead of Sodelpa leader Ro Teimumu Kepa with 17 per cent.

Bainimarama used his three-day visit to New Zealand to pitch for votes for his FijiFirst Party.

It’s the first time he’s visited the country in eight years, after New Zealand and Australia lifted travel bans on senior Fijian officials in March.

There was little real protest during his visit apart from a reported vocal clash between supporters and his New Zealand based opponents before the public rally started.

About 25 protestors chanted and interjected during a rally.

Bainimarama refused all interview requests with mainstream media.

His Whale Oil interview was made as his invitation to Slater, who is an obvious supporter of Bainimarama,.

Slater blogged: “Frank Bainimarama was an engaging and intelligent interviewee. He certainly appears driven to improve Fiji and create an environment that will allow Fiji to flourish.

“He sees education, information technology, and improved infrastructure as the keys to future prosperity for all Fijians.”

He told Slater the media in Fiji was completely free and had been for the two or three years.

He said the media is unincumbered and can say “whatever they like”.

“It’s good to hear that, from the prime minister,” Slater replied. “ That the media is free.”

His comments about gratefully accepting a hyperthetical defeat at the polls came from a “what if” question by Slater.

His answer that he would spend time with his 14 grandchildren was said with laughter and was obviously meant to dismiss such an unlikely prospect.

Bainimarama was however serious about his distaste for the governments of New Zealand and Australia.

In once instance he calls Australian politicians who were lobbying for the UN Security Council seats “bullshitters”.

Slater reported on his blog: “Bainimarama didn’t hold back on the attitude of the governments of New Zealand and also Australia. He was mindful though to praise those Kiwi and Aussie tourists who continue to support Fiji by holidaying there.”

Bainimarama said while Australia and New Zealand have been strong critics of his country since the coup, they remain an important economic and tourism link for Fiji.

He said Fiji has had to look to countries like China, India and Russia, as when it comes to politics, Australia and New Zealand are not “really part of the Pacific”.

“Take climate change – climate change is one of the biggest issues in the South Pacific right now,” he said.

“Australia went around three or four years ago telling the people of the Pacific ‘if you vote us in for the UN Security Council, we’ll look after your affairs’,” he said.

“What affairs? The biggest problem we have is climate change, and the Australians say ‘no thank you – you just vote for us in our issue of climate change but our idea is totally different to yours and we’re not going to help you when we get there’.”