| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Maneaba Ni Maungatabu / House of Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to) | 22 August 2007
30 August 2007 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the elective seats in the House of Assembly. |
The August 2007 parliamentary elections were the first to be held under President Anote Tong of the Boutokaan Te Koaua (Pillars of Truth
BTK) party
who was elected in the July 2003 presidential elections
ahead of his brother
Mr. Harry Tong. The latter was supported by the Maneaban Te Mauri (Protect the Maneaba
MTM) party. Following his election
President Tong switched the country's diplomatic recognition from China to Taiwan.
In the previous parliamentary elections held in May 2003
the BTK won 17 of the 40 directly-elected seats
while the MTM took 16. The remainder went to independent candidates. After the formation of a new BTK-led government
five independent members joined the BTK
giving it 22 seats in all.
In the 2007 elections
145 candidates
including 11 women
contested the 44 directly-elected seats (up from 40
see note). Most candidates pledged to provide better education and enhanced job opportunities. Prior to the elections
the BTK government was accused of covering up an alleged scandal involving university scholarships (which were reportedly granted to 18 "unsuitable" students to pursue their degree programme in Fiji in 2006). President Tong promised further investigation.
The elections went off peacefully in the small country of 108
000 inhabitants. The turnout for the first round held on 22 August was not published. In the second round held on 30 August
67.54 per cent of the 36
000 eligible voters cast their ballot.
In the first round
18 candidates
including two women and President Tong
were elected upon securing the required majority. The BTK took 10 seats
while the MTM took only two. Six independent candidates elected.
In the run-off elections held for the 26 remaining seats
the BTK won an additional eight seats
making a total of 18. The MTM took five more seats
or seven in all. Thirteen more independent candidates were elected
bringing the total to 19. No woman candidate was elected in the second round. Following the second round
some independent candidates joined the BTK.
The newly-elected parliament held its first session on 17 September and elected Mr. Taomati T. Luta (BTK) as its Speaker. He had previously served as Speaker from January to March 2003.
Parliament nominated four presidential candidates
including the incumbent president Anote Tong and the Finance Minister
Mr. Nabuti Mwemwenikarawa. The opposition MTM's candidate
Mr. Harry Tong
failed to be nominated
triggering street protests prior to the presidential poll of 17 October.
In all
56.7 per cent of the 43
000 registered voters turned out for the presidential elections. President Tong was re-elected
winning more than 15
000 votes
or 64 per cent of the valid votes
largely surpassing Mr. Mwemwenikarawa
who won approximately 8
000 votes.
On 23 October
President Tong named a new 11-member cabinet
including seven ministers from his first government
but not Mr. Mwemwenikarawa. Members were sworn in on the same day.
Note:
On 7 June 2007
parliament approved the Electoral Commissions recommendation to increase the number of directly-elected members from 40 to 44. The new quota attributes one seat for constituencies with fewer than 1
500 inhabitants
two seats for those with between 1
500 and 5
000 inhabitants
and three seats for constituencies with over 5
000 inhabitants. The number of seats has been increased in the four islands of Fanning
Kiritimati
Makin
and North Tarawa
given their growing population. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 22 August 2007 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
43'184
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Round no 2 | 30 August 2007 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
36'022
24'330 (67.54%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Boutokaan Te Koaua (Pillars of Truth) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Maneaban Te Mauri (Protect the Maneaba) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Round no 2
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Independents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Boutokaan Te Koaua (Pillars of Truth) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Maneaban Te Mauri (Protect the Maneaba) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Boutokaan Te Koaua (Pillars of Truth) |
10
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
6
|
|
|
|
|
| Maneaban Te Mauri (Protect the Maneaba) |
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
Round no 2
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
13
|
|
|
|
|
| Boutokaan Te Koaua (Pillars of Truth) |
8
|
|
|
|
|
| Maneaban Te Mauri (Protect the Maneaba) |
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
44
2
4.35%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- House of Assembly (10.09.2007
27.09.2007)
- http://www.tskl.net.ki/parliament/members.html
Note on the distribution of seats according to sex:
The statistics include one appointed member and one ex officio member (the Attorney General). Both are men. Of the 46 members
two are women.
Note on the statutory number:
If the Attorney General is an elected member
the total number of members becomes 45
instead of 46. |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
