Parliament of Nauru explained

Parliament of Nauru
Coa Pic:Coat of arms of Nauru.svg
Coa Res:150px
House Type:Unicameral
Election1:27 August 2019
Leader2 Type:Deputy Speaker
Election2:28 September 2022
Members:19
Structure1:File:Nauru Parliament 2019.svg
Structure1 Res:250px
Political Groups1:
Government
  • Nauru First (5)
  • Non-partisan (9)
    Opposition
  • Non-partisan (5)
  • Next Election1:2025
    Session Room:Nauru Parliament.jpg
    Session Res:250px
    Session Room2:Nauru Parliament chamber.jpg
    Session Res2:250px
    Footnotes:
    • all candidates for Parliament officially stand as independents.

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    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.[1] The number of seats was increased to 19 following elections in 2013.[2]

    The members of the Parliament of Nauru are elected by a positional voting system.

    History

    The Parliament of Nauru came into existence with the country's independence on 31 January 1968. The island was previously a United Nations Trust Territory administered by Australia. The Australian government's Nauru Act 1965 created the Legislative Council for the Territory of Nauru, consisting of 15 members – nine elected members, one ex officio member (the Administrator of Nauru), and five "official members" nominated by the Administrator.[3]

    On 22 March 2010, Radio New Zealand International reported that President Marcus Stephen had dissolved Parliament in readiness for elections on 24 April 2010. The election saw all 18 MPs returned,[4] but by this stage, nine of them had formed the Opposition, resulting in a deadlocked Parliament. Another election was held in June 2010, as a result of the continuing deadlock. After weeks of uncertainty, the deadlock was resolved when the Opposition agreed to have one of its own MPs, Ludwig Scotty, elected as Speaker. President Stephen then suggested that the number of MPs should be expanded to 19, to prevent future deadlocks.[5] In late 2012, Parliament, under the leadership of President Dabwido, acted on this suggestion and passed a law increasing the number of seats to 19 after election in 2013, it is expected to prevent future deadlocks like the one in 2010.

    Current MPs

    ConstituencyMemberFactionPoints
    1. 1 Votes
    Opposition 399.956
    Opposition350.155
    Maverick Eoe382.747
    Pyon DeiyeOpposition 439.653
    Timothy IkaOpposition 667.667
    Speaker531.017
    Martin HuntOpposition 576.683
    Asterio Appi585.150
    Government233.197
    Bingham AgirOpposition 263.833
    Government643.612
    Khyde MenkeOpposition 530.630
    Government450.515
    Government554.938
    592.124
    Reagan AliklikGovernment409.732
    Wawani DowiyogoOpposition515.666
    Government449.867
    Government365.829

    Speaker

    The Speaker is the presiding officer of Parliament. The Speaker is an MP elected by the MPs. The Speaker has no vote in no-confidence votes and presidential elections.

    Following the April 2008 election, Riddell Akua was appointed Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru. He replaced David Adeang.[6]

    Two weeks after the April 2010 election, Godfrey Thoma was elected Speaker. Due to the political deadlock fresh elections were held in June, after which Parliament continued to be deadlocked until the election of Ludwig Scotty to the chair in November 2010. Scotty resigned at the end of the 20th Parliament in March 2013. Godfrey Thoma was elected to replace him. Following the 2013 election, Scotty was re-elected to the speaker's post.

    Sources

    http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2013-06-11/baron-waqa-named-as-new-nauru-president/1144022
    http://www.naurugov.nr/government-information-office/media-release/honbaron-waqa-elected-president.aspx

    -0.5472°N 166.9167°W

    Notes and References

    1. http://www.naurugov.nr/parliament/about.html "About Parliament"
    2. http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/nauru/nauru_brief.html "Nauru country brief"
    3. News: Nauru Act 1965. Federal Register of Legislation. 3 December 2018. 24 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190324011850/https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C1965A00115. live.
    4. News: Nauru election returns previous parliament unchanged . 26 April 2010 . . 1 November 2011 . 10 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120310170734/http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=53201 . live .
    5. http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201005/2898723.htm "Political standoff ends with speaker's election in Nauru"
    6. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200805/s2233109.htm?tab=latest "Nauru president moves to ensure political stability"