Kiribati, officially the Independent and Sovereign Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, with more than half living on Tarawa atoll. The state comprises 32 atolls and one remote raised coral island, Banaba. Its total land area is 811 km2 (313 sq mi) dispersed over 3,441,810 km2 (1,328,890 sq mi) of ocean.
Politics of Kiribati takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Beretitenti, President of Kiribati, is both the head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government, Beretitenti, and his cabinet, all MPs. Legislative power is exercised by the House of Assembly. The Judiciary of Kiribati is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Constitution of Kiribati, promulgated at independence on 12 July 1979, establishes the Republic of Kiribati as a sovereign democratic republic and guarantees the fundamental rights of its citizens and residents.
Anote Tong is an I-Kiribati politician for the Pillars of Truth party and environmental activist with half Chinese heritage, who served as the fourth president of Kiribati, from 2003 to 2016. He won the election in July 2003 with a slim plurality of votes cast (47.4%) against his older brother, Harry Tong (43.5%) and the private lawyer Banuera Berina (9.1%). The elections were contested by the opposition, due to allegations of electoral fraud but the High Court of Tarawa had confirmed that there was no fraud. He was re-elected on 17 October 2007 for a second term (64%). In 2012, Tong was reelected for a third term, although with a significantly smaller percentage than in the previous two elections.
Ieremia Tienang Tabai is an I-Kiribati politician who served as the first president of Kiribati, after being the youngest ever chief minister of the Commonwealth of Nations and then becoming the youngest ever head of State. During his presidency, he was described as being the most able leader of the Pacific island states.
Protect the Maneaba, initially known as the Christian Democratic Party, was a political party in Kiribati.
Apisai Ielemia was a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010, and also held the role as Foreign Minister. He was returned as a member of parliament in the 2010 Tuvaluan general election. He was re-elected to parliament in the 2015 Tuvaluan general election. On 5 October 2016 Chief Justice Sweeney of the High Court of Tuvalu declared that Ielemia’s parliamentary seat was vacant as he was not qualified to be a member of parliament, as the consequence of the short time the opposition MP served time in jail following his conviction on 6 May 2016 in the Magistrate’s Court of charges of abuse of office during the final year of his term as prime minister. The abuse of office charges related to payments deposited into a National Bank of Tuvalu personal account. The 5 October 2016 decision of the Chief Justice was controversial as it appeared to contradict the June 2016 decision of Justice Norman Franzi of the High Court of Tuvalu that had quashed Ielemia’s conviction and acquitted him of the abuse of office charges. The appeal to the High Court held that the conviction was "manifestly unsafe," with the court quashing the 12-month jail term.
Presidential elections were held in Kiribati on 17 October 2007, following the 2007 parliamentary election. President Anote Tong, who was re-elected to parliament in the first round of the parliamentary election, sought another term as president. At the first parliamentary session, four candidates were chosen to appear on the ballot: Anote Tong, Patrick Tatireta, Timon Aneri, and Nabuti Mwemwenikarawa. Opposition nominees Harry Tong and Tetaua Taitai were excluded from the ballot, upon which the opposition called for a boycott of the election.
Parliamentary elections were held in Kiribati on 22 August 2007 and 30 August 2007, within 23 constituencies to elect 44 MPs. Two other MPs are ex officio members.
The Cabinet of Kiribati is the cabinet of the government of the Republic of Kiribati.
Dr. Harry Tong, is an I-Kiribati politician with Chinese heritage. He was born in Tabuaeran, Line Islands and is the second child of Chinese immigrant Tong Ting Hai and Nei Keke Randolph, of Abaiang and Maiana. Harry Tong attended Wanganui Collegiate School in New Zealand, and then went on to complete his medical training at the Fiji School of Medicine.
Parliamentary elections were held in Kiribati on October 21 and 28, 2011. In the first round, exactly half of the 44 members of parliament were elected, with the remainder chosen in the proceeding run-off elections. 30 candidates were reelected, and four government ministers lost their seats. One seat had to go to a third round of elections due to two candidates tying in the second round. In the third round, Jacob Teem defended his seat against Rutio Bangao with just 27 votes difference. The parliament in Kiribati is known as Maneaba ni Maungatabu. The next parliamentary election was not scheduled until 2015.
Presidential elections were held in Kiribati on 13 January 2012, following two-round parliamentary elections held in October 2011. Incumbent President Anote Tong sought re-election to a third four-year term, ending months of speculation about his decision.
Taomati T. Iuta was an I-Kiribati politician. He was Speaker of the House of Assembly of Kiribati for the Ninth Parliament (2011–2015). He was the vice president of Kiribati from 1991 to 1994.
Parliamentary elections were held in Kiribati on 29 November 2002, with a second round on 8 December. The result was a victory for the new Pillars of Truth party, which won 17 of the 40 seats in the House of Assembly. Fourteen MPs, including seven cabinet ministers lost their seats in the election.
Taneti Maamau is an I-Kiribati politician who has served as the sixth president of Kiribati since 11 March 2016.
Maere Tekanene is a former I-Kiribati politician, and part of the Pillars of Truth party, who was the Kiribati Member of Parliament for the South Tarawa constituency from 2011, and the Education Minister from 2012, until losing her seat at the 2015–16 parliamentary election.
Rereao Tetaake Eria is a former I-Kiribati politician. Succeedin her husband Mr Tetaake Eria, she served as a member of parliament for Teraina in the ninth and tenth Parliaments of Kiribati. She represented the Pillars of Truth party. In the 2015–16 Kiribati parliamentary election, she lost her seat to Uriam Iabeta.
Banuera Berina is a lawyer and a politician from Kiribati, representing Kuria in the House of Assembly. He was the opposition candidate in the 2020 Kiribati presidential election.
Vincent Tong is a Kiribati politician and the elder son of Anote Tong, the President of Kiribati from 2003 to 2016.
Kobebe Taitai is an I-Kiribati politician, Minister for Health and Medical Services, from 2016 to 2018, then Ministry of Internal Affairs, from 2018 to 2020. He was elected for Tabiteuea North at the 2016 Kiribati general elections. He lost his seat at the 2020 Kiribati parliamentary election. He is a member of Boutokaan te Koaua.
