Fiji is one of the larger economies of the South Pacific with a population of 915,000 and a GDP of approximately US$8 billion. In September 2014 Fiji elected Frank Bainimarama as Prime Minister in the country's first election in 8 years. Bainimarama had been Fiji's de facto ruler since seizing contol of the country in a 2006 coup. As the country undergoes its democratic transition, numerous sanctions have been lifted which is likely to boost foreign direct investment, particularly from Western economies.