Politics of Kiribati takes place in a framework of a parliamentary

Parliamentary system

A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....

 representative democratic

Representative democracy

Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...

 republic

Republic

A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...

, whereby the President of Kiribati

President of Kiribati

The President of Kiribati is the head of state and head of government of Kiribati.Following a general election, by which citizens elect the members of the House of Assembly, members select from their midst "not less than 3 nor more than 4 candidates" for the presidency. No other person may stand...

 is the head of government

Head of government

Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...

, and of a multi-party system

Multi-party system

A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...

. Executive power

Executive Power

Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...

 is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government

Government

Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...

 and the House of Assembly

House of Assembly of Kiribati

The House of Assembly of Kiribati has 46 members, 44 elected for a four year term in single-seat and multi-seat constituencies, 1 delegate from Banaba Island and 1 ex-officio member .Created with the Constitution of 12 July 1979, its new seat is at Ambo since October 2000, on South Tarawa...

. The Judiciary

Judiciary

The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...

 is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The constitution promulgated at independence on 12 July 1979, establishes the Republic of Kiribati

Kiribati

Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...

 as a sovereign democratic republic and guarantees the fundamental rights of its citizens.

Executive branch

After each general election, the new House of Assembly nominates three or four of its own members to stand as candidates for President (Te Beretitenti). The voting public then elects the Beretitenti from among these candidates. The Beretitenti appoints a Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti (Vice-President) and up to ten other Cabinet Ministers from among the members of the Maneaba. The Attorney-General is also a member of Cabinet.

|President
|Anote Tong

Anote Tong

Anote Tong is an I-Kiribati politician with Chinese heritage. He is the current President of Kiribati. He won the election in July 2003 with a slim plurality of votes cast against his brother, Dr. Harry Tong and the private lawyer Banuera Berina...

|BTK

Pillars of Truth

Pillars of Truth is a political party in Kiribati.The party was created through a split in the National Progressive Party, which was the first party to rule after Independence in 1979....

|10 July 2003
|-
|Vice-president
|Miss Teima Onorio

Teima Onorio

Teima Onorio is the current Vice President of the Republic of Kiribati. She served a first term of Vice President from 2003 to 2007, before being reappointed.She is also Minister for Education, Youth and Sports Development...

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Legislative branch

The unicameral House of Assembly (Maneaba ni Maungatabu) has 46 members: 44 elected for a four year term in single-seat and multi-seat constituencies; one appointed member from the Banaban community

Banaba Island

Banaba Island , an island in the Pacific Ocean, is a solitary raised coral island west of the Gilbert Island chain and 300 km east of Nauru. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. It has an area of 6.5 km², and the highest point on the island is also the highest point in Kiribati, at 81...

 on Rabi Island

Rabi Island

Rabi is a volcanic island in northern Fiji. It is an outlier to Taveuni , in the Vanua Levu Group. It covers an area of 66.3 square kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of 463 meters and has a shoreline of 46.2 kilometers...

 in Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

, and the Attorney-General in an ex officio capacity. The elected members of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu serve four-year terms. The Speaker of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu is elected by the members of the Maneaba from outside of its membership.
All citizens are eligible to vote at the age of 18.

Judicial branch

The judicial system consists of magistrates' courts, the High Court and the Court of Appeal. Beretitenti, acting in accordance with the advice of the Public Service Commission, makes all judicial appointments.

Political conditions

Political parties have existed since 1985 but are more similar to informal coalitions in behavior. They do not have official platforms or party structures. Most candidates formally present themselves as independents.

A major source of conflict has been the protracted bid by the residents of Banaban Island to secede and have their island placed under the protection of Fiji. The government's attempts to placate the Banabans include several special provisions in the constitution, such as the designation of a Banaban seat in the legislature and the return of land previously acquired by the government for phosphate mining.

Political parties and elections

External links

• Politics of Kiribati as of 2007: a brief overview on the official website of the Commonwealth of Nations
  Commonwealth of Nations
  The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...