| Parliament name |
Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
26 April 2008 |
| Timing and scope of renewal |
Elections were held for all the seats in the Parliament following its premature dissolution on 18 April 2008. The elections had previously taken place on 25 August 2007. |
On 18 April 2008, President Marcus Stephen invoked his executive powers and declared a state of emergency in order to dissolve parliament and call elections for 26 April, only eight months after the previous elections had been held in August 2007.
Prior to the 2008 elections, the country was experiencing a financial crisis, with its debts approaching US$ 1 billion and public servants' salaries unpaid. Nauru's economy was expected to be further damaged by the closure of Australia's off-shore camp for asylum-seekers by the end of March 2008. Due to a stalemate in parliament, however, no decisions on the national budget or investment projects could be taken.
The country of 12,000 inhabitants had experienced political instability since October 2007, when a leaked report revealed allegations of corruption against the then Finance and Foreign Minister, Mr. David Adeang. On 5 November, three senior ministers resigned, accusing the then President, Ludwig Scotty, of not taking sufficient action over the scandal. In late November, eight parliamentarians defected from the government camp and in December, President Scotty was ousted by a no-confidence vote. Mr. Stephen, a former professional weightlifter, was sworn in as the new President, with the support of half of the 18-member parliament. Speaker Valdon Dowiyogo resigned and was succeeded by Mr. Riddel Akua.
On 17 March 2008, opposition members, led by former president Rene Harris, attempted to oust President Stephen through a no-confidence vote for what they termed as "lack of concern for pollution and dust generated by the processing and loading of phosphate", following public protests on this issue. Their move was hampered by the resignation of Speaker Akua. After three nominees turned down the position, on 20 March President Stephen appointed Mr. Adeang as the new Speaker of Parliament. It was widely believed that the decision was taken with a view to reducing the number of opposition votes in parliament, since the Speaker only votes in the event of a tie.
Mr. Adeang subsequently announced a parliamentary recess until after the Easter holidays. He argued that parliament should be dissolved with a view to new elections. During the Easter weekend, he convened a secret parliamentary session without pro-government members in order to amend the Citizenship Act. The amendments aimed at preventing members of parliament from holding dual citizenship. President Stephen holds dual citizenship (Nauru and Samoa), while Foreign Affairs Minister Kieren Keke and Commerce Minister Frederick Pitcher also hold Australian citizenship.
On 22 March, Speaker Adeang suspended Mr. Keke and Mr. Pitcher from parliament based on their dual citizenship. The government called for an urgent Supreme Court review, which overturned the decision on the grounds that the parliament had lacked the requisite quorum when it amended the Citizenship Act. On 11 April, Mr. Adeang suspended all nine pro-government members, including President Stephen, from parliament for what he termed as "unruly and shameful behaviour", including personal insults directed at him during his statement to the Supreme Court. President Stephen subsequently dissolved the parliament on 18 April, paving the way for fresh elections.
In all, 65 candidates, including three women, ran for the 2008 elections. The number of candidates was lower than the 79 in the 2007 elections, due mainly to the nomination period of only three days.
President Stephen urged voters to support the government, arguing that Speaker Adeang and his supporters were threatening investment in Nauru and blocking the advancement of important projects. He pledged to work for the good of the people of Nauru. Mr. Adeang criticized President Stephen for calling elections only eight days after parliament was dissolved. President Stephen insisted that the country needed a new parliament in order to pass the budget bill as soon as possible.
The Pacific Islands Forum monitored the polls. It declared that the electoral process was "credible" although it expressed concern over the "very short timeframe for the preparation and campaign" for the elections.
All nine pro-government members retained their seats. Former president Harris and two other opposition members lost theirs. The three members who were elected in lieu of these opposition members subsequently moved over to the government side. The government led by Mr. Stephen was thus returned with 12 out of the 18 seats.
The new parliament held its first session on 29 April and elected former Speaker Mr. Akua as its Speaker. Mr. Stephen was re-elected as the country's President. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 26 April 2008 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
5'235
4'607 (88%)
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Notes
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| Distribution of votes |
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Round no 1
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| Political group |
Candidates |
Votes |
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% of votes |
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| Distribution of seats |
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Round no 1
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| Political Group |
Total of seats
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| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
18
0
0.00%
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| Distribution of seats according to age |
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| Distribution of seats according to profession |
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| Comments |
Sources:
- Parliament (01.05.2008, 17.06.2008)
- Government Gazette, No. 46, 26 April 2008 |
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