1976 Nauruan parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 18 December 1976. Following the election, Bernard Dowiyogo was elected President by Members of the Parliament.[1]
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Nauru |
| Constitution |
Background
In July 1976 Parliament had forced President Hammer DeRoburt – head of state since independence in 1968 – to resign after refusing to pass financial bills. However, within a few hours DeRoburt was re-elected president unopposed.[2]
Campaign
A total of 43 candidates contested the elections, two of whom were elected unopposed.[2]
An informal Nauru Party was formed prior to the election, the first party on the island. Its members were younger MPs who had been concerned about the country's economic policy and saw DeRoburt's government of making decisions without proper discussion.[2]
Results
15 of the 18 incumbents were re-elected. Lagumot Harris, MP for Ubenide, was surprisingly defeated.[2]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independents | 1,155 | 100 | 18 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 193 | – | – |
| Total | 1,348 | 100 | 18 |
| Source: IPU | |||
Aftermath
The newly elected Parliament met on 21 December and re-elected Kenas Aroi was re-elected as Speaker. After DeRoburt refused to listen to suggestions that he appoint some new ministers to his cabinet, he lost the vote for president to Bernard Dowiyogo by nine votes to seven.[2] Following the election, Nauru Party MPs met with DeRoburt and promised that Dowiyogo would resign and allow him to run unopposed if he reconsidered making changes to his cabinet. However, he refused, taking the view that the president should be free to choose their own cabinet.[2]
Dowiyogo appointed a new cabinet, including Aroi, who subsequently resigned as Speaker. Samuel Tsitsi was elected in his place.[2]
| Position | Minister |
|---|---|
| President Minister for External Affairs Minister of Justice Minister for the Public Service | Bernard Dowiyogo |
| Minister for Finance Minister Assisting the President | Kinza Clodumar |
| Minister for Health Minister for Education | Lawrence Stephen |
| Minister for Islands Development and Industry Minister for Civil Aviation | Kenas Aroi |
| Minister for Works and Community Services | Ruben Kun |
On 24 December, DeRoburt called a special session of parliament to propose a motion that the new government had been formed outside the constitution, which did not provide for party politics.[2] The debate was halted when Tsisti resigned as Speaker, also giving up his seat in Parliament. The following week David Gadaroa was elected as the third Speaker of the parliamentary term.[2]
The Supreme Court later overturned the election of Derog Gioura. Kennan Adeang was declared elected in his place.[3] In 1977 MP René Harris – who had replaced Tsitsi after his resignation – was removed from Parliament after being convicted of assault. In the subsequent by-election, he was re-elected with 95 votes, defeating Reginald Akiri (41 votes), John Bill (12) and August Deiye (10).[3]
References
- Nauru Inter-Parliamentary Union
- No fun and games when party politics creep up on Nauru Pacific Islands Monthly, February 1977, pp8–10
- A bouncer! Pacific Islands Monthly, August 1977, p20
