Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 8 June 2013.[1] After Parliament was dissolved on 1 March,[2] the elections were set for 6 April.[3] However, a Supreme Court ruling annulled the dissolution and cancelled the elections.[4] Parliament was dissolved again on 23 May, approximately one month before the normal end of its mandate, and elections were set for 22 June 2013,[5] however President Sprent Dabwido declared a state of emergency and brought the election forward to 8 June.[1] Parliament first sat on June 11 and Fisheries Minister Baron Waqa, the leader of the government forces, was elected president.[6]
Background
In February 2013 a constitutional crisis developed after two cabinet members resigned and a third was sacked by President Sprent Dabwido, leaving just two members in the cabinet, whilst the 18-member Parliament split into three factions.[7] On 1 March Parliamentary Speaker Ludwig Scotty dissolved Parliament due to unruly behaviour by MPs,[8] and elections were set for 6 April.
Former President Marcus Stephen, who was one of the cabinet members to leave in February threatened to bring a legal challenge against the dissolution, claiming it had been carried out in an unconstitutional manner as MPs had not been given the chance to challenge the dissolution.[9] When Stephens and seven other MPs did take the matter to the Supreme Court, it ruled that the adjournment had been carried out unconstitutionally.[10] However, a government spokesman claimed that the Court had no power to force Scotty to reconvene Parliament.[11]
In mid-March the Supreme Court ruled that as the dissolution was null and void, the writ issued for elections in April was also null and void.[4]
Speaker Scotty resigned on 18 April and was replaced by Godfrey Thoma on 25 April. Thoma announced on 16 May that Parliament would be dissolved a week from that date.[12] Speaker Thoma dissolved Parliament on 23 May and set elections for 22 June.[5] On 27 May 2013 President Dabwido declared a state of emergency and re-set the election for 8 June 2013.[1]
Electoral system
MPs are elected in eight multi-members constituencies using the Dowdall system, a modified version of the Borda count. Voters rank candidates by preference, with the first preference given a score of 1, the second preference a score of 1⁄2, the third preference a score of 1⁄3 and so on. Voters must rank all candidates on the ballot for it to be valid. The candidates with the highest scores win the seats in a constituency.[13]
Until this election there had been 18 seats in Parliament with seven two-seat constituencies and one four-seat constituency, but following the June 2010 elections Parliament passed a bill to increase the number of seats to 19 to avoid 9–9 ties in the legislature.[14] The extra member will be elected in the Meneng Constituency, which previously had two seats.[15]
A record total of 68 candidates registered for the elections.[16]
On 11 June the newly elected MPs elected the president, who was required by the constitution be a member of parliament.[17]Baron Waqa defeated Roland Kun by 13 votes to five.[18]
