members gave their support to Ludwig Scotty. However, he retained the confidence of the MPs only until August 2003, when parliament chose former President René Harris to be President. In September 2004 Scotty was again elected to the presidency and an early general election was held in October 2004, observed by a joint Pacific Islands Forum/Commonwealth observer mission. The new parliament then elected Scotty unopposed as President. In the general election in August 2007, President Scotty’s supporters took 14 seats and MPs subsequently re-elected him. His opponent, Marcus Stephen, was supported by three members. However, Scotty’s third term lasted only four months; he was deposed in a vote of no confidence in December 2007 and Marcus Stephen was chosen by parliament to be President. Following his election Stephen had the support of only 9 of 18 MPs. The government was paralysed, Stephen declared a state of emergency and dissolved parliament. At the ensuing elections in April 2008 the President’s supporters achieved a working majority, winning 12 of the 18 parliamentary seats; Stephen was re-elected President and the deadlock ended. An early general election in April 2010, occasioned by the defection of three members, returned exactly the same members, and parliament continued to be deadlocked. Negotiations and another election in June 2010 failed to secure a resolution. The deadlock finally ended in November 2010 when parliament re-elected Stephen as President, defeating Milton Dube 11–6. President Stephen stepped down in November 2011 amid allegations of corruption in a phosphate deal. In two parliamentary votes in November – both won by nine votes to eight – Freddie Pitcher defeated Milton Dube only to be ousted by Sprent Dabwido less than a week later. In the general election, held on 8 June 2013, 19 members were elected, seven of whom were new members. In the parliamentary vote that followed on 11 June, Baron Waqa was elected President, defeating Roland Kun 13:5. Na u r u Local government There is no sphere of local government and no local elections. For administrative purposes the country comprises 14 districts: Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe and Yaren. National development plan The National Sustainable Development Strategy 2005–25 was published in 2005 and reviewed in 2009. It sets out Nauru’s long-term development vision of ‘a future where individual, community, business and government partnerships contribute to a sustainable quality of life for all Nauruans’. Policy The long-term goals of the Sustainable Development Strategy are: • Stable, trustworthy and fiscally responsible government • Enhanced social, infrastructure and utilities services • An economy based on multiple sources of revenue • Rehabilitation of mined-out lands for livelihood sustainability • Development of domestic food production In 2009, these goals were broken down into economic, community, infrastructural and cross-cutting goals. Extensive community consultation during the 2009 review identified a number of immediate priorities, which included capacitybuilding across the public sector of organisations and individuals, and strengthening governance. Governance The 2009 review of the Sustainable Development Strategy recognised that a lot has already been achieved in improving governance, but more needed to be done with regard to the independence of the media; freedom of information; the leadership code; reducing the backlog in the courts; and addressing gender- and child-based violence. Among the cross-cutting goals set in the 2009 review was strengthening governance institutions, in particular those concerned with democracy, audit, justice, law and order, and border control. Further information Goverment of the Republic of Nauru: www.naurugov.nr Commonwealth Secretariat: www.thecommonwealth.org Commonwealth Governance: www.commonwealthgovernance.org Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2013/14 221 Governance institutions Parliament of Nauru: www.naurugov.nr/parliament-of-nauru Government departments: www.naurugov.nr/government/departments
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