Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 9 July 2016. Parliament was dissolved by President Baron Waqa on 10 June after it completed its three-year term. Speaker Ludwig Scotty called the elections for 9 July, with nominations taking place between 19 and 25 June.

Electoral system The 19 members of Parliament were elected from eight multi-member constituencies using the Dowdall system, a version of ranked voting; voters ranked candidates, with the votes counted as a fraction of 1 divided by the ranking number (e.g. a candidate ranked second will be scored as ½); the candidates with the highest total are elected.Electoral system IPU

Conduct Opposition politicians in Nauru expressed concerns about the legitimacy of the election. In December 2015, opposition MP Mathew Batsiua accused the government of using public funds to buy favor through excessive, free inaugural flights. In February 2016 another suspended opposition MP, former president Sprent Dabwido, claimed that a new law requiring public servants to resign from their jobs three months ahead of election day was a tactic used to suppress prospective candidates from running. Batsiua additionally claimed in March 2016 that the increase in candidacy fees from US$74 to US$1500 was a suppression tactic. Responding to the increase in candidacy price, some prospective parliamentary candidates turned to crowdfunding. By May 2016, 18 prospective candidates had filed an application to the Supreme Court of Nauru to challenge the increased candidacy price. In June, parliament reduced the candidacy fee from US$1500 to US$500, and abolished the requirement for public servants to resign their jobs three months before the election.

In March 2016, former presidents Dabwido and Marcus Stephen accused the Baron Waqa government of attempting to rig the 2016 elections by suppressing protest, press access, and social media websites, as well as creating new barriers for prospective candidates, among other things. They requested representatives from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the Commonwealth Secretariat serve as international observers for the elections. The PIF and the Commonwealth Secretariat signalled they would require an invitation from the government to observe the elections. President Waqa expressed an openness to international observers. By June, both the PIF and Commonwealth Secretariat confirmed that they would observe the election. The observer teams arrived in July. The Commonwealth Secretariat's team was led by Anote Tong, former president of Kiribati.

Ahead of the election, Dabwido accused the government of preventing local media from running opposition campaign ads, as well as intervening with the police commissioner, preventing the opposition from holding a campaign rally. Communications Minister Shadlog Bernicke explained that Nauru TV does not air political ads for either the government or opposition, and accused the opposition of using the foreign press to spread disinformation. Bernicke further accused Dabwido of "political point scoring" and attempting to influence the international observers with lies.

Both the PIF and Commonwealth Secretariat found the 2016 parliamentary elections to be free and fair.

Results Voting took place on 9 July, except in the Aiwo Constituency, where it was halted and delayed until 11 July. This was due to a legal dispute brought by Tazio Gideon, who challenged the Electoral Commission's refusal of his nomination to stand in the election.

ConstituencyCandidatePreference votesTotalNotes12345678910111213141516AiwoMilton Dube2242386242107 395.57ElectedAaron Cook2431586911588391.35ElectedDantes Tsitsi1496295129238291.52Lance Agir3510227516497238.0722113181214143220.93Invalid/blank votes12Total685ConstituencyCandidatePreference votesTotalNotes12345678910111213141516AnabarRiddell Akua13410378595710361 263.53ElectedJaden Dogireiy1201058471655793254.04ElectedLudwig Scotty116958674607193247.79Pyon Deiye897696109768168224.66Jeb Bop767779961248360212.04Dawson Agege4549788893101141173.08Corey Menke158995971209683167.27Invalid/blank votes8Total603ConstituencyCandidatePreference votesTotalNotes12345678910111213141516AnetanSean Oppenheimer148261101402631406767 354.07ElectedCyril Buraman22152434829246750247326.40ElectedMarcus Stephen1461355854413766110134298.77Antonius Atuen13798898253394218358288.59Geoffrey Thoma6042136101112157895034222.89Fabian Ika2480116160130102894436207.88Landon Deireragea2918961041081551308160178.80Joseph Harris124372118164121868679171.78Darryl Tom449737611811416911068159.88Invalid/blank votes19Total800ConstituencyCandidatePreference votesTotalNotes12345678910111213141516BoeAsterio Appi12395120512619258822 248.63ElectedBaron Waqa15180432317312460140246.13ElectedMathew Batsiua14446421720232579173225.75Mike Dagiaro6514650404045589728203.69Abraham Aremwa3845941028467912721164.01Dale Cecil177752648284985639144.57Geoffrey Harris20375986111124624624139.81Randwick Capelle534801148874893748129.77Kinza Clodumar613327298101968170109.22Invalid/blank votes10Total579ConstituencyCandidatePreference votesTotalNotes12345678910111213141516BuadaShadlog Bernicke2538287155 361.75ElectedBingham Agir156118184119306.08ElectedSean Halstead6127614991271.42Linkbelt Detabene107101157212262.83Invalid/blank votes3Total580ConstituencyCandidatePreference votesTotalNotes12345678910111213141516MenengTawaki Kam28228411263292323293813980 519.02ElectedLionel Aingimea2371988143343263486974223436.22ElectedVodrick Detsiogo12310813210670152141971014329337.26ElectedSprent Dabwido13212581698279446771191161324.60Squire Jeremiah89155110806852658480165154304.61Robert Timothy805988155148128140971166724282.41Elvin Brechtefeld43251631611061061151121097092246.85Deci Temaki423972107244136114130748559238.34Rykers Solomon30517696751601561541527874219.45Bweresallas Temaki143967151167161143107847693213.01Doneke Kepae3017121688176100177205116111205.58Invalid/blank votes31Total1,133ConstituencyCandidatePreference votesTotalNotes12345678910111213141516UbenideDavid Adeang2712441629074463731372942434310676174542.36ElectedRanin Akua2691002446755605748462745383286150181497.21ElectedRuss Kun1371922402362107269554141323430285038467.15ElectedValdon Dowiyogo1602629063475031476458696775147159116423.67ElectedReagan Aliklik1081369913515992816768575151564988208358.65Vyko Adeang13462551731547766877711986101124856738349.66Gabrissa Hartman86931601231211731529473776112870432922346.87David Detageauwa9274698775777789109125117107183957455297.11Freddie Pitcher809548558276586665748412911982149243275.99Aloysius Amwano573666113627783779210512012612119610470248.71Fabian Ribauw48575564909899941251051391341378011664247.24Albert Teimitsi263046679712817811011811619410069948844224.31David Dowiyogo142556788513713612020310911093146966136214.54Kay Aliklik6305376821551921071721771058787607145212.83Renos Agege13404242571081001261071621371511291359165199.76Darnard Dongobir421273556859328110812211411484123131107180.76Invalid/blank votes74Total1,579ConstituencyCandidatePreference votesTotalNotes12345678910111213141516YarenCharmaine Scotty25510333245138 340.03ElectedKieren Keke12252468265137219.67ElectedRobbie Eoe7113256519698203.95John Mackay111191281238241167.15Daigon Julius413595111118104158.85Brian Amwano4621441179186144.78Invalid/blank votes6Total510Source: Nauru Electoral Commission

Presidential election On 13 July the newly elected MPs elected the president, who was required by the constitution be a member of parliament. All new members joined the presidential majority, allowing Waqa to be re-elected president by sixteen votes to two against opposition Nauru First candidate Riddell Akua.

Cyril Buraman was elected Speaker.Returning Nauru Govt promises more stability Radio New Zealand, 13 July 201613/7/16 NTV news report NTV News, 13 July 2016 Ludwig Scotty, the speaker of the previous Parliament, had lost his seat in Anabar. On 30 May 2019, there was a by-election after MP Jaden Dogireiy was disqualified from parliament, in which Scotty was elected.

In September Dale Cecil, a candidate in Boe Constituency, filed an election petition against Waqa, accusing him of bribery and breaking advertisement law. Dabwido filed an election petition against Lionel Aingimea and Tawaki Kam in the Meneng Constituency. Both petitions were thrown out due to legal technicalities.

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