Nauruan parliamentary election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Nauruan parliamentary election took place on 3 May 2003 in Nauru
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.
the 18 members of parliament are elected at least every 3 years from 8 consituencies
. Voters rank the candidates with the top 2 candidates being elected from 7 constituencies and 4 being elected from the 8th constituency. The President of Nauru
is elected by the members of parliament from among themselves and can be removed by a majority vote in parliament.
Following the last election in 2000
Bernard Dowiyogo
was elected president after the then president René Harris
resigned. However Dowiyogo was defeated in a motion of non-confidence in April 2001 and Harris became president again. Harris served until 2003, but with the budget deficit increasing to almost half of Nauru's gross domestic product
by 2002 and many government workers having not been paid in months, he was ousted after an extended deadlock in parliament in January 2003. Dowiyogo became president once more and served until his death in the United States
in March 2003. Derog Gioura
then became acting president until elections could be held in May.
to state that Nauru's economy was in big trouble, with many public sector
workers receiving their first pay in months on the day before the election. Another issue in the election was the detention centres
set up in Nauru for people seeking asylum in Australia
.
During the campaign for the election in which just under 4,500 people were eligible voters, the education minister
Anthony Audoa called on Australia and New Zealand
to run the election, as he claimed that his country would be unable to conduct a free and fair election. However President Gioura said Audoa had no authority to make that call and said that Nauru did not need any help in running the election. Audoa had had responsibility for the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust
removed by President Gioura and the two men had fallen out as a result.
party had the other 3 members. Among the new members were 2 of the Nauru First party and the Commonwealth Games
gold medallist Marcus Stephen
. While 5 sitting members lost seats including the education minister Anthony Audoa; the president Derog Gioura and the former presidents Kinza Clodumar
and Rene Harris were re-elected.
Following the election Parliament met to elect a new president but was unable to reach agreement. Godfrey Thoma
was initially elected speaker
but resigned the following day as the speaker initially did not get a vote in the presidential election. With parliament evenly split between supporters of former president Kinza Clodumar, Nauru First member David Adeang
and Ludwig Scotty
, nobody was then willing to be elected speaker. The deadlock continued for several weeks with calls for new elections to break the stalemate.
However towards the end of May the impasse was broken when 2 of the 3 factions reached agreement. As a result Nauru First member Fabian Ribauw
was elected speaker and in return Ludwig Scotty was able to get enough support to become president. Scotty was elected president by 10 votes to 7 for Kinza Clodumar.
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
to elect members of the Parliament of Nauru
Parliament of Nauru
The Parliament of Nauru has 18 members, elected for a three year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.The members of the Parliament of Nauru are elected by a positional voting system....
. 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
President of Nauru
The President of Nauru is elected by Parliament from amongst its members. He is both the head of state and head of government of Nauru. Nauru's unicameral Parliament has 18 members, with an electoral term of 3 years. Political parties only play a minor role in Nauru politics, and there has often...
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
Ludwig Scotty
Ludwig Derangadage Scotty is a two-time former President of the Republic of Nauru. He served as President from 29 May 2003 to 8 August 2003, then from 22 June 2004 to his ousting in a vote of no confidence on 19 December 2007....
was elected as the new president of Nauru and was able to form a new government.
Background
Under the constitution of NauruConstitution of Nauru
The constitution of the Republic of Nauru was adopted following national independence on 31 January 1968.In 2007 there were political debates in progress with a view to amend aspects of the Constitution, owing to the challenge of widely acknowledged political instability...
the 18 members of parliament are elected at least every 3 years from 8 consituencies
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
. Voters rank the candidates with the top 2 candidates being elected from 7 constituencies and 4 being elected from the 8th constituency. The President of Nauru
President of Nauru
The President of Nauru is elected by Parliament from amongst its members. He is both the head of state and head of government of Nauru. Nauru's unicameral Parliament has 18 members, with an electoral term of 3 years. Political parties only play a minor role in Nauru politics, and there has often...
is elected by the members of parliament from among themselves and can be removed by a majority vote in parliament.
Following the last election in 2000
Nauruan parliamentary election, 2000
Early parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 8 April 2000. All candidates ran as independents. Following the election René Harris was elected President by the Parliament, defeating Bernard Dowiyogo by one vote. However, following the resignation of Speaker Ludwig Scotty and Deputy Speaker...
Bernard Dowiyogo
Bernard Dowiyogo
HE Bernard Annen Auwen Dowiyogo was President of the Republic of Nauru.-Background and early career:He first became an elected member of Nauru's 18-seat parliament in 1973...
was elected president after the then president René Harris
René Harris
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.-Background and early career:...
resigned. However Dowiyogo was defeated in a motion of non-confidence in April 2001 and Harris became president again. Harris served until 2003, but with the budget deficit increasing to almost half of Nauru's gross domestic product
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
by 2002 and many government workers having not been paid in months, he was ousted after an extended deadlock in parliament in January 2003. Dowiyogo became president once more and served until his death in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in March 2003. Derog Gioura
Derog Gioura
Derog Gioura is a Nauruan political figure. He was President of the Republic of Nauru in 2003.- Political role :...
then became acting president until elections could be held in May.
Campaign
Major issues in the election included corruption and the mismanagement of the finances of Nauru, combined with declining incomes from the mining of phosphate. This had led the Asian Development BankAsian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
to state that Nauru's economy was in big trouble, with many public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
workers receiving their first pay in months on the day before the election. Another issue in the election was the detention centres
Nauru detention centre
The detention center on the South Pacific island nation of Nauru was based on a Statement of Principles, signed on 10 September 2001 by the President of Nauru, René Harris, and Australia's then Minister for Defence, Peter Reith. The statement opened the way to establish a detention center for up...
set up in Nauru for people seeking asylum in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
During the campaign for the election in which just under 4,500 people were eligible voters, the education minister
Education minister
An education minister is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters.-Country-related articles and lists:Minister of Education may refer to:...
Anthony Audoa called on Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to run the election, as he claimed that his country would be unable to conduct a free and fair election. However President Gioura said Audoa had no authority to make that call and said that Nauru did not need any help in running the election. Audoa had had responsibility for the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust
Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust
The Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust was a sovereign wealth fund developed by the government of the Republic of Nauru in which the government invested money from the state owned mining company, Nauru Phosphate Corporation...
removed by President Gioura and the two men had fallen out as a result.
Election results
The results saw 6 new members of parliament elected, with the remaining 12 retaining their seats. 15 of those elected were not members of any party, while the Nauru FirstNauru First
Nauru First is the only formal political party in the Republic of Nauru.-Philosophy and leading members:Its positions tend to be liberal, pro-government transparency, and Christian democratic...
party had the other 3 members. Among the new members were 2 of the Nauru First party and the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
gold medallist Marcus Stephen
Marcus Stephen
Marcus Stephen was President of the Republic of Nauru from December 2007 to November 2011. In addition to the presidency, he held the offices of Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust, Minister for Police, Prisons, & Emergency Services, and Minister for Public...
. While 5 sitting members lost seats including the education minister Anthony Audoa; the president Derog Gioura and the former presidents Kinza Clodumar
Kinza Clodumar
HE Kinza Godfrey Clodumar is a political figure from Nauru who was President of Nauru from 1997 to 1998.-Background:...
and Rene Harris were re-elected.
Presidential election
Godfrey Thoma
Godfrey Awaire Thoma is a Nauruan politician.-Member of Parliament:Thoma started his first term in the parliament after being elected in 1995, ousting Theodore Moses after only three years...
was initially elected speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
but resigned the following day as the speaker initially did not get a vote in the presidential election. With parliament evenly split between supporters of former president Kinza Clodumar, Nauru First member David Adeang
David Adeang
David Waiau Adeang is a Nauruan politician, and a former Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru, and a former Foreign Minister of Nauru. He is a founding member of the Naoero Amo , currently the only successful political party on the island.-Background and Early career:David Adeang's father is Kennan...
and Ludwig Scotty
Ludwig Scotty
Ludwig Derangadage Scotty is a two-time former President of the Republic of Nauru. He served as President from 29 May 2003 to 8 August 2003, then from 22 June 2004 to his ousting in a vote of no confidence on 19 December 2007....
, nobody was then willing to be elected speaker. The deadlock continued for several weeks with calls for new elections to break the stalemate.
However towards the end of May the impasse was broken when 2 of the 3 factions reached agreement. As a result Nauru First member Fabian Ribauw
Fabian Ribauw
Fabian Dominic Ribauw is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Nauru.-Background and political role:Ribauw studied in Australia and earned a BA in Economics from La Trobe University, Melbourne....
was elected speaker and in return Ludwig Scotty was able to get enough support to become president. Scotty was elected president by 10 votes to 7 for Kinza Clodumar.