The House of Assembly of Kiribati has a Speaker, a function adapted from the BritishWestminster model. The position was established in 1979 by article 71 of the Constitution, when the country became independent from the United Kingdom. It replaced the Speaker of the former House of Representatives existing since 1967, then known as Legislative Council in 1970 and House of Assembly since 1974.[1]
Article 71 states that the Speaker "shall be elected by the members of the Maneaba [House of Assembly] from among persons who are not members of the Maneaba". His or her function is to "preside at each sitting of the Maneaba" (art.72).
The website of the House of Assembly indicates that his "decision on a point of order is final. He is fully entitled to regulate the conduct of business in all matters not provided in the Rules of Procedure. He has the specific power to decide whether a bill or a motion pertains to money matters, which then requires a minister's signification. He may adjourn a sitting if there is no quorum after an objection is raised by a member".[2]
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.
Elections in Kiribati are held every 4 years or, earlier, after a no confidence vote. They consist in the national elections of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu from whom is then elected the Beretitenti, shortly after, by the people. They are also local elections of the Councils.
The Parliament of Barbados is the national legislature of Barbados. It is accorded legislative supremacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados. The Parliament is bicameral in composition and is formally made up of two houses, an appointed Senate and an elected House of Assembly, as well as the President of Barbados who is indirectly elected by both. Both houses sit in separate chambers in the Parliament Buildings, in the national capital Bridgetown in Saint Michael.
The president of Kiribati is the head of state and head of government of Kiribati.
The House of Assembly is the sole chamber of the Parliament of Kiribati. Since 2016, it has 45 members, 44 elected for a four-year term in 23 single-seat and multi-seat constituencies and 1 non-elected delegate from the Banaban community on Rabi Island in Fiji. From 1979 to 2016, the Attorney general was an ex officio member of the legislature, until a change of the constitution modified this provision.
The heart of any Kiribati community is its maneaba or meeting house. The maneaba is not just the biggest building in any village, it is the centre of village life and the basis of island and national governance.
The Speaker of the House of Assembly of Dominica is responsible for the management and general administration of the House, ensuring that rules of procedure are followed. The Speaker is elected by the House of Assembly at its first sitting after a general election.
The vice-president of Kiribati is the deputy head of State of the Republic of Kiribati. His or her constitutional functions are to exercise the duties of the President of Kiribati, temporarily or permanently, should the latter be unable to do so, and to "be responsible for such business of the government as the Beretitenti [President] may assign to him".
Parliamentary elections were held in Kiribati on 21 and 28 October 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 Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Tuvalu.
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.
Rota Erimariki Onorio was an I-Kiribati politician who served as acting president as chairman of the Council of State of Kiribati from 10 December 1982 to 18 February 1983, and also as Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1979 to 1982.
Tessie Eria Lambourne is an I-Kiribati civil servant, diplomat and politician. She has been a member of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) since April 2020. She was formerly Kiribati's Ambassador to Taiwan from June 2018 to September 2019 and Secretary to the Cabinet, the highest position in Kiribati's civil service, from August 2016 until June 2018.
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.
David Collins is an I-Kiribati politician and was the MP of Maiana. He has also represented Kiribati in basketball and football, playing for the latter as a midfielder at the 2003 South Pacific Games.
The Boutokaan Kiribati Moa Party (BKM) was a political party in Kiribati from the merger of the Kiribati First Party and Boutokaan te Koaua in 2020.
Taberannang “Peter” Timeon is an I-Kiribati politician, member of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (parliament) for Tabiteuea North. Until 2013, he was member of the Cabinet of Kiribati. In mid-October 2013, he has resigned from Anote Tong’s government as Minister for Communications, Transport and Tourism, having been accused of receiving an excessive allowance payment. He is re-elected during the 2020 Kiribati parliamentary election. He was candidate for the Beretitenti during the February 2003 Kiribati presidential election.
Taabeta Teakai is the Minister of Employment and Human Resources in Kiribati. She was the only female member of the government appointed in 2020.
Presidential elections will be held in Kiribati in October 2024. The president is directly elected by plurality vote from a pool of candidates nominated by and from among members of the House of Assembly. The candidates for the election will be determined when the House of Assembly sits on 13 September 2024.
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