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About the Parliament of KiribatiThe Presidency and the Cabinet Rules of Procedure of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu In 1979 the Gilbert Islands, Banaba, the Pheonix Islands and the Line Islands became the independent Republic of Kiribati. The Republic has a total land area of 810 square kilometers. Thirty three atolls and islands, spread across approximately a third of a million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, are inhabited. The Presidency and the CabinetKiribati is a Republic within the Commonwealth. The President (Beretitenti) is the Head of State as well as the Head of Government and is elected nationally. Candidates for the position of President are chosen by the elected members of the House of Assembly (Maneaba ni Maungatabu) from a minimum of three and maximum of four nominated members. The Beretitenti is required to notify the Speaker in order to resign or when a matter before the Maneaba raises an issue of confidence. The President appoints his or her own Cabinet. Cabinet comprises the President, Vice-President, not more than twelve ministers selected from the members of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu and the Attorney-General. The Cabinet exercises executive powers. The Legislative AssemblyKiribati has a unicameral parliament which is known as the Maneaba ni Maungatabu. It's members are elected by universal adult suffrage for a four year term. Two additional members, one nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders (Fiji) and the Attorney General as an ex-officio member, make the present parliament of 46 (2007 elections). The Speaker, who is responsible for running the House of Assembly, is not a member of parliament. An Electoral Commission is required under the Constitution to review the make-up of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu at intervals of not more than four years. The Commission makes recommendations to Parliament regarding the number of electoral districts, boundaries and number of elected members in each district. Parliament may accept or reject the recommendations as it sees fit. The number of representatives per district is determined by a formula recommended by the Electoral Commission and approved by Parliament. Based on a 2007 recommendation of the Electoral Commission which was approved by Parliament, it was recommended that an increase to two members would be made each for islands with a population ranging from 1500 to 5000. Islands with populations of 1500 and under would retain one representative while those exceeding 5000 would be eligible for three candidates respectively. Due to population increases, the number of elected representatives was increased to 36 prior to the 1982 election , to 39 in 1987, 40 in 1990, 41 in 2003 and to 44 in 2007. According to the Constitution and the Election Ordinance of 1977, to become a member of Maneaba ni Maungatabu an individual must be a qualified elector, have attained 21 years of age and not hold or act in any office, the functions of which involve the conduct of any election or the compilation or revisions of any electoral register. He/she must be neither a public officer nor owe allegiance to a foreign state or power. Any person who is qualified and wishes to stand for election must fill in a nomination form which is available from electoral offices. A candidate must be nominated by three people who are registered electors in the district for which the candidate is standing. The nomination paper will be invalid if it is not in the correct form or is filled in incorrectly. The nomination can also be invalidated if one of the nominators has nominated more than one candidate. The seat of an elected member of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu will become vacant on a dissolution of the Maneaba , if the member resigns, is recalled, dies, is sentenced by a court in any part of the Commonwealth to death or to imprisonment and serves any part of such a sentence or imprisonment, or is found not qualified as an elector or candidate. Provision exists for a sitting member to be recalled and dismissed on petition by 51 per cent of his or her constituency. The Maneaba ni Maungatabu sits for three periods of approximately six weeks each year. The proceedings of Parliament are broadcast live over Radio Kiribati. Recorded tapes of the Parliamentary sessions are also provided to staff in the Maneaba from which transcripts are made and a publication produced called the Report of the Proceedings of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (or Hansard). Since Independence the Report has been produced in the Kiribati language. The SpeakerThe role and powers of the Speaker of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu are provided for in the Constitution , the Rules of Procedure and the Privileges, Immunities and Powers of the Maneaba Ni Maungatabu Act of 1986. The Speaker is not an elected member and therefore has no casting vote when the Maneaba comes into a decision on any matter. When votes on a motion are equally divided, the Speaker declares it lost. He does however have a very important role to play in the conduct of the business of the Maneaba and is very much respected by its members and the public. The Speaker is elected by the members of the Maneaba Ni Maungatabu at its first sitting after a general election. The session is presided over by the Chief Justice and begins with the members taking their oath of office. The Chief Justice then calls for nominations for Speaker. If there are two candidates, an election is conducted by secret ballot, in which a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes cast in order to be elected. If there are more than two candidates and no one receives a majority of the votes on the first ballot, then successive ballots are held in which half the candidates are eliminated each time until there are only two candidates remaining. The winning candidate is declared as Speaker by the Chief Justice, takes his oath of office forthwith in front of members of the Maneaba and then takes the Chair. The term of office of the Speaker continues after the dissolution of the Maneaba Ni Maungatabu and following a general election. It ends on the day the new Maneaba first meets. The Speaker can resign from office at any time by announcing it to the Maneaba or by issuing a notice in writing address to the Maneaba. The Maneaba Ni Maungatabu may dismiss the Speaker by passing a resolution which is supported by at least two-thirds of all members. The Speaker may be re-elected. The Speaker decides the place and time for meetings of the Maneaba including the first meeting after a general election. He can be asked to summon the Maneaba Ni Maungatabu by the Beretitenti or one third of the members. When the Maneaba sits, the Speaker's decision on a point of order is final. He is fully entitled to regulate the conduct of business in all matters not provided in the Rules of Procedure. He has the specific power to decide whether a bill or a motion pertains to money matters, which then requires a minister's signification. He may adjourn a sitting if there is no quorom after an objection is raised by a member. Jointly with the Chief Justice, the Speaker advises the Maneaba Ni Maungatabu on the appointment and removal of the Chairman and members of the Public Services Commission. The Speaker receives notification from a member of the Maneaba of the resignation of his/her seat and sends to the Electoral Commission petitions calling for the removal of elected members. The Speaker receives annual reports from the Director of Audit and lays them on the table for consideration. The Chairman of the Public Service Commission consults with the Speaker on the appointments of the Salaries Tribunal for the members of the Maneaba. The Speaker also has the power to apply to the High Court to determine questions as to the interpretation of the Constitution. The Speaker, along with the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, who is Chairman and the Chief Justice, is a member of the Council of State. The purpose of the Council is to perform the duties of the Beretitenti and other executive functions of Government when a motion of no confidence in the Beretitenti or the Government is supported in the Maneaba Ni Maungatabu.
The Electoral SystemWith the exception of persons certified insane or under a prison sentence of 12 months or more, all citizens of Kiribati who have attained the age of 18 years and have resided within an electoral district for a continuous period of 12 months are entitled to be registered as 'electors' or voters for elections. Under Section 62 of the Constitution overall responsibility for supervising elections in Kiribati is vested in an Electoral Commission consisting of a Chief Electoral Commissioner and not less than two or more than four commissioners, appointed by the Beretitenti on the advice of the Cabinet. The Chief Justice is involved in the supervision of the election of the Beretitenti. Under section 63 of the Constitution, the Electoral Commission is also responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the Maneaba ni Maungatabu for approval on the number and boundaries of electoral districts and the number of elected members in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu. Under Sections 4 of the Elections Ordinance, the carrying out of administrative arrangements and the conduct of elections is vested in the Chief Electoral Office, who is at present appointed by the Minister of Home Affairs. The Chief Electoral Officer in turn appoints electoral officers and assistant electoral officers for each electoral district. These officers assist in the registration of voters and the actual conduct of the elections. The main reason why the Ministry of Home Affairs deals with elections is administrative convenience. The Chief Electoral Officer also holds the post of Senior Assistant Secretary in the Ministry and is able, therefore, to mobilise the required personnel, transport and equipment of the Department of Local Government, which also comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The island council clerks, who are appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer as electoral officers, also come under the Department of Local Government. VotingEach ward in all electoral districts has its own register as a voter must apply in person to the electoral officer in the district in which he/she resides to have his/her name recorded. No one is allowed to register in more than one ward. Times for the opening and closing of the registers are announced and published in every ward. In some districts electoral officers may take the registers to the public in order to facilitate the registration process. Only those people who are registered can vote in an election. Voting hours are between 7am and 6pm on the date appointed by the Electoral Commission. In order to vote, an elector must present himself/herself to the presiding officer at the polling station in his/her ward. If the presiding officer is satisfied that such person is the one named in the Register, a ballot paper will be issued and advice given regarding how many candidates to vote for and how to mark the ballot paper. In multi-seat districts, an elector may cast votes for up to the full number of vacant seats available or less, if he/she so chooses. Voters mark their ballot papers individually inside a screened area and drop them inside a sealed ballot box provided. The counting of votes takes place as soon as possible after the close of voting. The electoral officer in each district collects the ballot boxes from all wards and with the assistance of appointed counters should immediately and continuously count the votes until the results have been attained. At the end of the counting, the electoral officer publishes the results. Valid and invalid ballot papers are recorded and sealed separately and sent along with statements to the Chief Electoral Officer in Tarawa. Run-off ElectionA candidate for the Maneaba ni Maungatabu will be declared elected in the first round of voting if he/she has received over half the number of valid votes cast. If no candidate has over half, then there must be a run-off election, which is normally held within a week of the first election. In the run-off election only the top candidates from the first election appear on the ballot. In a district with 3 seats vacant, the top five candidates from the first election will go into the run-off election. In a constituency with two seats vacant, the top four candidates will contest the run-off. The same applies for a three-seat constituency in which one candidate has already succeeded in winning more than half the valid votes cast in the first elections and has, therefore, been declared elected. In single seat constituencies, the top three candidates contest the run-off. Election of the BerentitentiNominations for candidates for the presidential election are made in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu from amongst its members. The law requires that there must be at least three and no more than four candidates. If there are more than four nominations, voting takes place among the members by secret ballot. There shall be two rounds of voting in which each member shall cast not more than a vote from among the candidates, and a member who is in the ballot may vote for himself. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with the election shall be determinded by the Speaker, whose decision is final. When voting in the first round has been completed, the Speaker shall declare or cause to be declared the result of the voting in that first round and the two candidates with the greatest number of votes shall be duly nominated. The Speaker shall then call for a second round of voting exempting the two candidates with the greatest number of votes in the first round from the ballot but not from taking part in the vote. At the completion of voting in the second round, the Speaker shall declare or cause to be declared the result of the voting in that second round and the two candidates with the greatest number of votes shall be duly nominated. If an equality of votes is found to exist between any members in the ballot, the Speaker shall order any further ballot that he thinks necessary, and the procedure at any further ballot shall be in accordance with this section. Political PartiesThere are three political parties in Kiribati, Boutokaan Te Koaua (BTK), Maneaban Te Mauri Party (MMP) and Maurin Kiribati Party (MKP). The parties are loose groupings rather than disciplined blocks, with little or no structure. Members may change allegiance on a number of occasions during their tenure. It is also common for members to vote according to the special interests of their electorate on certain issues.
Last updated: 3 September, 2007 |
