By Phil Mercer in Sydney

The death penalty handed down on George Speight would have shocked most Fijians but the decision by President Ratu Josefa Iloilo to commute the sentence to life in prison will not have come as a surprise.

There seems there is no political will for one of the darkest periods in Fiji's history to end with the execution of a man whose actions caused so much distress.

The judge's hands were tied and he had to pass the sentence that he did, but I have no doubt that George Speight will not be executed.

Ron Cannon, defence lawyer

Even before the trial began, the government said it would abolish the death penalty.

But Attorney-General Qoriniasi Bale has confirmed that the new legislation is not yet in place.

As a result, death remains the mandatory sentence for treason under Fiji's constitution.

Within hours, however, the case was being reviewed by Fiji's Mercy Commission which advises the president on matters of clemency.

Chaired by the attorney general, it was made up of two other members appointed by Mr Iloilo.

Confident

The former rebel leader now faces a lifetime in jail.

There is every chance that state prosecutors and lawyers for George Speight brokered a deal even before proceedings began.

Even before the death sentence was quashed, Speight's defence lawyer, Ron Cannon, seemed confident his client would not be executed.

"The judge's hands were tied and he had to pass the sentence that he did," said Mr Cannon.

It was an extraordinary day in Fiji.

It started with George Speight walking confidently into court.

Security in the capital Suva was at its tightest as the most serious criminal case in the country's history got underway.

The former rebel leader immediately pleaded guilty but broke down and wept as the presiding judge Justice Michael Scott donned a ceremonial black cap to order his execution by hanging.

The Daily Post newspaper reported that it was widely expected that Speight and 12 co-defendants "would get off lightly in return for pleading guilty".

Changed man

The weeping figure with his head bowed as the death penalty was passed stands in stark contrast to the confident and charismatic man who brought down democracy in May 2000.

The coup caused economic, social and political chaos. Racial divisions between indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians - descendants of indentured labourers brought in to work on colonial sugar plantations by the British - deepened.

Thousands of people lost their jobs in the depression that followed as key industries - especially tourism - went into freefall.

Chaudhry is now challenging the government in the courts

Former Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who carried out two nationalist coups in 1987 when he was head of the military, was pardoned by the president.

There have been no executions in the former British colony since independence in 1970.

The security forces are on full alert but the former rebel leader has urged his supporters through his lawyers to remain calm amid fears of a nationalist backlash.

Fiji's long and painful recovery is not over but the sentencing of George Speight will help bring closure to one of the country's most disastrous episodes.