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All 18 seats in the Parliament of Nauru | ||||||||||||||
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Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 24 April 2010, [1] following the dissolution of parliament by President Marcus Stephen on 16 March 2010. [2] 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. [3]
Australian officials have accused the Australian company Getax, which is an important buyer of Nauruan phosphate, of having precipitated the election by destabilising the Stephen government. Specifically, Getax had offered the Nauruan government a loan of A$25 million with a 15% interest rate, which, according to an investigative article in The Australian , "would be likely to have resulted in the country defaulting on its repayments, triggering contract provisions that would have let Getax take over the Nauru-owned phosphate industry". The Stephen government rejected the proffered loan. At the time, following the results of the 2008 election, the government had a parliamentary majority consisting in 12 MPs. Shortly thereafter, Getax organised and financed a trip to Singapore for the six opposition MPs and three of the government MPs. The latter three (including Aloysius Amwano) [4] then joined the ranks of the opposition, causing a parliamentary stalemate, and thus the April election. [5] [6]
In October 2010, The Australian published an article, based on revelations by Australian officials and on documents published by the Nauruan authorities, revealing Getax's activities, as well as seemingly inexplicable spending levels by opposition MPs, well beyond the means afforded by their salaries. It also included a testimony alleging that members of the opposition had paid sums of money to potential voters. Questioned by The Australian, Baron Waqa, leader of the opposition, would neither confirm nor deny the claim that Getax had financed the opposition's campaign, but stated: "Getax has always helped Nauru. [...] Getax is disappointed with the way the country is running". [5] [6]
The Australian Federal Police launched an investigation into the accusations that Getax had bribed Nauruan officials (specifically, opposition and government non-Cabinet MPs) in the hopes that a new government would sign a deal with it on the selling of phosphate. [4]
Nauru uses a modified Borda count electoral system in eight multi-member districts. [7]
On 26 April it was announced that provisional results indicated that every single one of the 18 members of parliament had been re-elected. [8] This was confirmed on Monday 26 April.
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supporters of Marcus Stephen | 9 | |||
| Other candidates | 9 | |||
| Total | 18 | |||
| Valid votes | 5,017 | 96.44 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 185 | 3.56 | ||
| Total votes | 5,202 | 100.00 | ||
| Source: Australia Network News, IPU | ||||
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aiwo | Godfrey Awaire Thoma | 284.433 | Re-elected |
| Dantes Ingin Tsitsi | 282.983 | Re-elected | |
| Milton Ross Dube | 256.583 | ||
| Aaron Stein Cook | 255.783 | ||
| Preston Jovani Thoma | 226.283 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 8 | ||
| Total Votes Cast | 580 | ||
| Anabar | Ludwig Derangadage Scotty | 268.525 | Re-elected |
| Riddell Akua | 216.436 | Re-elected | |
| Tyrone Deiye | 191.210 | ||
| Jeb Nobob Bop | 119.785 | ||
| Johnny Panser Olsson | 119.561 | ||
| Melissa Ika | 119.275 | ||
| Nicholas Yanaw Duburiya | 114.627 | ||
| David Peter Gadaraoa | 111.126 | ||
| David Aingimea | 102.582 | ||
| Vincent Scotty | 92.352 | ||
| Espen Jubal Fritz | 87.003 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 16 | ||
| Total Votes Cast | 541 | ||
| Anetan | Marcus Ajemada Stephen | 355.436 | Re-elected |
| Landon Deireragea | 277.474 | Re-elected | |
| Cyril Buraman | 253.640 | ||
| Remy Gerard Namaduk | 199.674 | ||
| Cheyenne Timothy Ika | 193.581 | ||
| Begg Adire | 179.881 | ||
| Creiden Fritz | 176.407 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 12 | ||
| Total Votes Cast | 643 | ||
| Boe | Baron Divavesi Waqa | 245.466 | Re-elected |
| Mathew Jansen Batsiua | 244.570 | Re-elected | |
| Vollmer Mercury Appi | 183.651 | ||
| Abraham Aremwa | 173.416 | ||
| Joy Edith Heine | 149.674 | ||
| Kinza Clodumar | 146.555 | ||
| Bryan Tetanko Star | 146.083 | ||
| Dale Richard Cecil | 110.142 | ||
| Morgan El-Grico Solomon | 108.311 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 8 | ||
| Total Votes Cast | 541 | ||
| Buada | Roland Tulen Kun | 255.531 | Re-elected |
| Shadlog Armiat Bernicke | 238.610 | Re-elected | |
| Vinson Franco Detenamo | 174.637 | ||
| Alexander Stephen | 154.076 | ||
| Arrow Juliante Depaune | 144.806 | ||
| Terangi Adam | 142.565 | ||
| Sean Halstead | 129.568 | ||
| Elchen Anabella Solomon | 119.136 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 6 | ||
| Total Votes Cast | 506 | ||
| Meneng | Rykers Solomon | 312.714 | Re-elected |
| Sprent Jared Dabwido | 283.346 | Re-elected | |
| Tawaki Lyn-Wannan Kam | 221.761 | ||
| Doneke Jim Benedict Kepae | 211.810 | ||
| Elvin Squire Brechtefeld | 207.078 | ||
| David Russell Daoe | 168.234 | ||
| Alvin Harris | 166.914 | ||
| James Degangan Bop | 155.870 | ||
| Rick Daoe | 147.344 | ||
| Davey Roxen Debagabene Agadio | 144.354 | ||
| Darlyne Faith Harris | 143.638 | ||
| Simpson Simon | 134.687 | ||
| Linko Jereco Jeremiah | 131.396 | ||
| Dogabe Abner Jeremiah | 130.296 | ||
| Jesiel De Gauli Jeremiah | 121.688 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 48 | ||
| Total Votes Cast | 856 | ||
| Ubenide | David Adeang | 355.162 | Re-elected |
| Frederick William Pitcher | 313.199 | Re-elected | |
| Valdon Stanley Kape Dowiyogo | 304.881 | Re-elected | |
| Aloysius Iyomago Amwano | 257.967 | Re-elected | |
| Julian Itsimaera | 212.316 | ||
| Ranin Akua | 196.876 | ||
| Maria Gaiyabu | 189.385 | ||
| Greta Diva Harris | 189.069 | ||
| George Giovanni Gioura | 177.318 | ||
| Vyko Pentax Adeang | 171.666 | ||
| Fabian Dominic Ribauw | 165.503 | ||
| Chet Hardy Tatum | 157.865 | ||
| Bernadette Eimiriken Aliklik | 143.988 | ||
| Renos Renige Agege | 132.126 | ||
| Anthony Roteb Garabwan | 129.091 | ||
| Joseph Laben Hiram | 118.893 | ||
| Ransom Fidelis Olsson | 117.408 | ||
| Skipper Diovanni Hiram | 113.075 | ||
| Knox Tulensru Tulenoa | 111.805 | ||
| Cameron Valentino Tatum | 103.441 | ||
| Walton Deigirimout Doguape | 102.311 | ||
| Darnard Dongobir | 100.935 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 79 | ||
| Total Votes Cast | 1,126 | ||
| Yaren | Dominic Joselito Tabuna | 208.267 | Re-elected |
| Kieren Aedogan Keke | 203.009 | Re-elected | |
| Charmaine Scotty | 185.754 | ||
| Pres Nimes Ekwona | 110.948 | ||
| Andrew James Kaierua | 96.352 | ||
| Brian Amwano | 85.693 | ||
| John Daigon Julius | 84.542 | ||
| Moses Alexius Neneiya | 82.236 | ||
| Johnny Taumea Agadio | 77.618 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 8 | ||
| Total Votes Cast | 409 | ||
| Source: Republic of Nauru Government Gazette, 24 April, 2010 | |||
Parliament met for a first session on Tuesday 27 April, to elect a speaker. However, all four nominated candidates were rejected. Parliament is now to resume on Thursday, with the Marcus Stephen administration continuing in a caretaker capacity. [9]
In its third sitting on 4 May 2010, the speaker election failed yet again. [10] After a fourth failed attempt, the opposition floated the possibility of holding another election. [11] Following the fifth failed attempt, Stephen proposed reforms before early elections, such as electing the speaker from outside parliament to break the deadlock. [12]
In a sixth attempt on 13 May 2010, Godfrey Thoma was finally elected speaker. [13] He immediately proposed to dissolve parliament again. [14] As the government refused to do this, he resigned on 18 May 2010; it seemed possible that the two camps might form a coalition government to break the deadlock. [15]
Progress was finally made when the government's nominee for speaker, Dominic Tabuna, was finally elected on 1 June 2010 in two rounds of balloting. Indirect presidential elections were then set for 3 June 2010. [16] They were then postponed to 4 June 2010, and when they failed again on that date, Tabuna resigned. [17]
Following seven weeks of deadlock, parliament was dissolved on 11 June 2010 and an early election called for 19 June 2010. [18]
The politics of Nauru take 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 was Speaker of Parliament five times between 2000 and 2016. He served as president from 29 May 2003 to 8 August 2003 and again from 22 July 2004 until his ousting in a vote of no confidence on 19 December 2007. He was elected as president in 2003, again from November 2010 to April 2013, and from June 2013 to June 2016.
René Reynaldo Harris was President of the Republic of Nauru four times between 1999 and 2004. He was a Member of Parliament from 1977 to 2008.
Kieren Aedogan Ankwong Keke is a Nauruan politician and medical doctor. He is a member of the Parliament of Nauru and former Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
David Waiau Adeang is a Nauruan politician, former Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru, and Nauru's Minister of Finance and Justice, as well as 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.
Marcus Ajemada 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.
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.
Michael Riddell Akua is a political figure from the Pacific nation of the Republic of Nauru.
Frederick William Pitcher is a Nauruan political figure. In December 2007, Pitcher was appointed Minister of Finance of Nauru, to serve in the Administration of President Marcus Stephen.
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.
Roland Tullen Kun is a Nauruan politician and Member of Parliament.
Baron Divavesi Waqa is a Nauruan politician who was the 14th President of Nauru from 11 June 2013 until 27 August 2019. He previously served as Minister of Education from 2004 to 2007.
Godfrey Awaire Thoma is a Nauruan politician and police officer.
Mathew Jansen Batsiua is a Nauruan politician. Batsiua, a former health minister and former foreign minister of Nauru, has served as a member of parliament for the constituency of Boe since 2004.
Sprent Arumogo Dabwido was a Nauruan politician who served as the President of Nauru between 2011 and 2013, and was also a weightlifter. The son of a parliamentarian, Dabwido was originally elected to the Meneng Constituency in the Parliament of Nauru at the 2004 elections. Having served as Minister for Telecommunications in Marcus Stephen's government from 2009, Dabwido joined the Nauruan opposition faction in November 2011 after Stephen's resignation, and, having passed a motion of no confidence against interim president Freddie Pitcher, was elected president four days later. In his role as president, Dabwido functioned as chairman of the Cabinet of Nauru, and held various portfolios in the Nauruan government.
Aloysius Arabao Iyomogo Edrick Amwano is a Nauruan politician.
Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 3 May 2003 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.
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. This led to an extended state of emergency in Nauru as a result of this election.
Milton Ross Dube is a Nauruan politician.
Charmaine Eraidinomo Scotty is a Nauruan politician who has been a Member of Parliament for Yaren since 2013. She was a cabinet minister from 2013 to 2019.
