| Parliament name |
Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to) | 9 July 2016
11 July 2016 |
| Purpose of elections |
In all, 13 outgoing members were re-elected to the 19-member Parliament, including President Baron Waqa and his justice minister David Adeang. Most of the members of the Government, including the sole woman member, retained their seats, although the Speaker, Ludwig Scotty, did not. On 12 July, Parliament re-elected Mr. Waqa as President by a vote of 16-2.
The 2016 elections followed two years of political turmoil, linked to the suspension of five opposition MPs. In the run-up to elections (March 2016), there was controversy over the Government's proposal to increase the fee for parliamentary candidates from AU$ 100 to AU$ 2,000. This increase was felt to limit participation in the electoral process, as there are no political parties and all candidates run as independents. The Government argued that it needed to raise money to fund the elections. A challenge was lodged with the Supreme Court. The Government subsequently lowered the nomination fee to AU$ 500, which was approved by Parliament on 9 June. Four of the five suspended members sought re-election in 2016 but only one member, Mr. Kieren Keke, was re-elected.
The 2016 elections were monitored by international observers for the first time. Commonwealth observers said: "The process was conducted in a peaceful environment and the voters were able to cast their votes freely without fear or intimidation."
Note on the election dates:
Elections in Aiwo constituency were delayed to 11 July because a candidate filed a legal challenge. |
Date of previous elections: 8 June 2013
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 10 June 2016
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry*
*A general election is held within two months of a dissolution of Parliament.
A parliamentary term is "three years from and including the date of the first sitting".
Since the outgoing Parliament held its first sitting on 11 June 2013, the 2016 elections were held within the constitutional deadline.
Expected date of next elections: June 2019
Number of seats at stake: 19 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 67 (63 men, 4 women)
Percentage of women candidates: 6%
Number of parties contesting the election: Not applicable (there are no political parties)
Number of parties winning seats: Not applicable.
Alternation of power: No
Number of parties in government: Not applicable.
Names of parties in government: Not applicable.
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 12 July 2016
Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Cyril Buraman |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 (from/to) | 9 July 2016
11 July 2016 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
6'886
6'469 (93.94%)
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Notes
|
The Electoral Act 2016 provided for the so-called "passive" voter registration system instead of the previous "active" voter registration system where Nauruan citizens above 20 years old were required to register in the voter lists. The number of registered voters has thus increased from 5,528 in 2013 to 6,886 in 2016. |
| Distribution of votes |
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| Distribution of seats |
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| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
18
1
5.26%
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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 |
Note on the number of women:
One woman was elected in the July 2016 elections.
In January 2017, one more woman won a by-election to replace a male member passed away in December 2016, bringing the total number of women in Parliament to a record two (out of 19 members).
Sources:
Parliament (12.07.2016, 15.07.2016, 01.02.2017)
Electoral Commission (13.12.2016)
http://election.com.nr/2016/07/09/2016-election-results/
http://www.nauru-news.com/
http://www.abc.net.au
http://www.radionz.co.nz
http://www.pina.com.fj/
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Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
