Nauruan parliamentary election, June 2010

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Nauruan parliamentary election, June 2010
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All 18 seats of the Parliament of Nauru

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Leader Marcus Stephen Baron Waqa [1]
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Leader's seat Anetan Constituency Boe Constituency
Last election 9 seats 9 seats
Seats won 9 8
Seat changeSteady2.svg0Decrease2.svg1
President before election

Marcus Stephen
Nonpartisan

President-designate

Marcus Stephen
Nonpartisan

Nauru
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This article is part of a series on the
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Nauru

Early parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 19 June 2010 after the previous parliamentary election in April 2010 had resulted in a deadlock between government and opposition, tied at nine seats each. [2] This led to an extended state of emergency in Nauru as a result of this election. [3]

Nauru Republic in Oceania

Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 kilometres (190 mi) to the east. It further lies northwest of Tuvalu, north of the Solomon Islands, east-northeast of Papua New Guinea, southeast of the Federated States of Micronesia and south of the Marshall Islands. With only a 21-square-kilometre (8.1 sq mi) area, Nauru is the third-smallest state on the list of countries and dependencies by area behind Vatican City and Monaco, making it the smallest state in the South Pacific Ocean, the smallest island state, and the smallest republic. Its population is 11,347, making it the third smallest on the list of countries and dependencies by population, after the Vatican and Tuvalu.

State of emergency Legal declaration or de facto acts by a government allowing assumption of extraordinary powers

A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to perform actions that it would normally not be permitted to do. A government can declare such a state during a disaster, civil unrest, or armed conflict. Such declarations alert citizens to change their normal behavior and orders government agencies to implement emergency plans. Justitium is its equivalent in Roman law—a concept in which the senate could put forward a final decree that was not subject to dispute.

Contents

[4] In total after the calculation of the 8 constituencies there was a total of 5180 formal votes cast in the election.

Background

The election occurred during a state of emergency imposed by President of Nauru Marcus Stephen. [3] [5] Voters were given just one week's notice for the date of the election. [3]

President of Nauru head of state and government in Nauru

The President of Nauru is elected by Parliament from among its members, and is both the head of state and the head of government of Nauru. Nauru's unicameral Parliament has 19 members, with an electoral term of 3 years. Political parties only play a minor role in Nauru politics, and there have often been periods of instability in the Presidential office. Shifting allegiances among a small number of individuals can lead to frequent changes in the makeup of the government of the day, including the presidential position itself.

Marcus Stephen Nauruan sportperson and politician

Marcus Stephen is a Nauruan politician and former sportsperson who previously was a member of the Cabinet of Nauru, and who served as President of Nauru from December 2007 to November 2011. The son of Nauruan parliamentarian Lawrence Stephen, Stephen was educated at St Bedes College and RMIT University in Victoria, Australia. Initially playing Australian rules football, he opted to pursue the sport of weightlifting, in which he represented Nauru at the Summer Olympics and Commonwealth Games between 1990 and 2002, winning seven Commonwealth gold medals.

Results

The result was no clear majority, [3] meaning a hung parliament. [6]

A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no particular political party or pre-existing coalition has an absolute majority of legislators in a parliament or other legislature. This situation is also known, albeit less commonly, as a balanced parliament, or as a legislature under no overall control, and can result in a minority government. The term is not relevant in multi-party systems where it is rare for a single party to hold a majority.

One MP belonging to the opposition lost the re-election, while all 17 others were re-elected. [7] Independent MP Milton Dube holds the balance of power. [3] The Nauru Parliament's two groups must compete for his support. [8] Dube was elected in Aiwo constituency, unseating Dantes Tsitsi of the Opposition. [8] The new MP declared himself independent, and stated he would support the side which would do the most for his constituency. [8] He wants to reduce the levels of phosphate dust from a problematic drying plant. [8] The MP in favour of government, Doctor Kieren Keke, plans to discuss the matter with Dube within a week of his election. [3] Parliament have scheduled a sitting on the Tuesday morning following the election. [9]

Milton Dube is a Nauruan politician.

Dantes Ingin Tsitsi is a Nauruan politician.

Kieren Aedogan Ankwong Keke is a Nauruan politician and medical doctor. He is a member of the Parliament of Nauru and former Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Aloysius Amwano was elected as speaker on 30 June 2010, but demanded that Stephen stand down as president. [10] Stephen's followers agreed to this, but only if the new president came from their ranks, with their preferred nominee being Kieren Keke. However, there are two other contenders, Baron Waqa (the opposition leader) [11] and Godfrey Thoma. [12]

Aloysius Arabao Iyomogo Edrick Amwano is a Nauruan politician.

Baron Waqa Nauruan politician

Baron Divavesi Waqa is a Nauruan politician who has been 14th President of Nauru since 11 June 2013. He previously served as Minister of Adult Education from 2004 to 2007.

Godfrey Awaire Thoma is a Nauruan politician.

Rykers Solomon, an opposition MP, joined the government on 6 July 2010, but Amwano nonetheless refused to allow a motion to elect the president, suspending parliament until 8 July 2010. [13] Amwano was then dismissed on 7 July 2010 by Stephen, [14] but refused to quit. [15] In a short parliamentary session held on 9 July 2010, Deputy Speaker Landon Deireragea announced that he had assumed the Speaker's position. [16]

Following further disagreements, the president called a state of emergency. [17]

On November 1, former President Ludwig Scotty was elected Speaker, ending the deadlock. Marcus Stephen was subsequently re-elected as President, defeating Milton Dube 11 to 6. [18]

e  •  d  Summary of the 19 June 2010 Parliament of Nauru election results
Seats
supporters of Marcus Stephen 9
opponents of Marcus Stephen 8
Independent 1
Total18
Source: Australia Network News

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Politics of Nauru

Politics of Nauru takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Nauru is the head of government of the executive branch. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Ludwig Derangadage Scotty is a Nauruan politician who twice served as President of Nauru and has been Speaker of Parliament since 2013. He served as President from 29 May 2003 to 8 August 2003 and again from 22 June 2004 until his ousting in a vote of no confidence on 19 December 2007. He served as Speaker from 2000 until his election as President in 2003, again from November 2010 to April 2013, and from June 2013 to June 2016.

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David Waiau Adeang is a Nauruan politician, a former Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru, and Nauru's Minister for Finance and Justice, in addition he is the Minister Assisting the President of Nauru. He is a founding member of the Naoero Amo, currently the only successful political party on the island.

Parliament of Nauru

The Parliament of Nauru has 19 members, elected for a three-year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament. The number of seats was increased to 19 following elections in 2013.

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Frederick William "Freddie" Pitcher is a Nauruan political figure. In December 2007, Pitcher was appointed Finance Minister of Nauru, to serve in the Administration of President Marcus Stephen.

Nauruan nationality law

Nationality and citizenship in the Republic of Nauru are currently defined and regulated by the Constitution of Nauru and the Nauruan Community Ordinance 1956-1962. Dual citizenship is permitted.

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Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on April 26, 2008, following the dissolving of Parliament by President Marcus Stephen on April 18. The decision came after what Stephen referred to as "months of political deadlock". Of the parliament's eighteen members, nine supported the Stephen government and nine were in opposition.

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April 2010 Nauruan parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 24 April 2010, following the dissolution of parliament by President Marcus Stephen on 16 March 2010. The election was called due to repeated attempts to oust the government of Marcus Stephen in votes of no-confidence. There were 86 candidates, eight of them women. Nauru uses a modified Borda count electoral system in eight multi-member districts.

2003 Nauruan parliamentary election

The 2003 Nauruan parliamentary election took place on 3 May 2003 in Nauru to elect members of the Parliament of Nauru. The election took place with Nauru having economic difficulties and a large budget deficit. This was the main issue in the election, which followed a period where a number of presidents had been elected for short periods of time. However the election resulted in deadlock for several weeks afterwards, with parliament divided between three candidates for president. It was only at the end of May that Ludwig Scotty was elected as the new president of Nauru and was able to form a new government.

2010 Nauruan presidential election

Indirect presidential elections were held in Nauru on 1 November 2010 following the parliamentary elections held on 28 April 2010 and the repeated elections on 19 June 2010. The election was attempted to be held on 3 June 2010 and then on 4 June 2010, but failed both times. Another attempt was set for 6 July 2010 after incumbent president Marcus Stephen agreed to step aside to facilitate Aloysius Amwano's election as speaker. Rykers Solomon, an opposition MP, joined the government on 6 July 2010, but Amwano nonetheless refused to allow a motion to elect the president, suspending parliament until 8 July 2010. Amwano was subsequently dismissed by president Stephen and replaced by deputy speaker Landon Deireragea.

References

  1. ↑ Nauru: élections du 19 juin 2010, Union interparlementaire
  2. ↑ "Nauru to go back to the polls after seven weeks of stalemate". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "No clear majority in Nauru election". Australia Network News. 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  4. ↑ "Results of the General Election held on 19th June 2010" (PDF). Parliament of Nauru. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  5. ↑ "Nauru's newly elected MPs lobby to form new government". Australia Network News. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  6. ↑ "Unofficial results from Nauru election indicate on going stalemate". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  7. ↑ "AFP: Nauru still deadlocked after second election". Google.com. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Both groups in Nauru Parliament vie for support of single new MP". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  9. ↑ "Plans for coalition still alive in Nauru after another indecisive election". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  10. ↑ "Pacific Beat:Story:Nauru elects speaker who pushes for new president". Radio Australia. 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  11. ↑ "Hopes Nauru deadlock can be solved today". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  12. ↑ "ABC Radio Australia News:Stories:Nauru edges closer towards political deal". Radioaustralianews.net.au. 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  13. ↑ "Nauru Government breaks parliamentary deadlock but Speaker blocks vote". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  14. ↑ "Nauru speaker removed as deadlock continues". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  15. ↑ "Stories:Nauru Speaker refuses order to quit". Australia Network News. 2010-07-08. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  16. ↑ "Nauru parliament sits briefly again amid Speaker void". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-07-09. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  17. ↑ "Nauru's SOE extended for 21 days". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  18. ↑ "Nauru deadlock ends as Scotty accepts speaker's position". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
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