2016 Nauruan parliamentary election

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.[2]

Opposition politicians in Nauru expressed concerns about the legitimacy of the election. In December 2015 suspended opposition MP Mathew Batsiua accused the government of using public funds to buy favor in the form of excessive, free inaugural flights.[3] In February 2016 another suspended opposition MP, former president Sprent Dabwido, claimed 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.[4] Batsiua additionally claimed in March 2016 that the increase in candidacy fees from US$74 to US$1500 was a suppression tactic.[5] In response 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.[6] In June, parliament reduced the candidacy fee from US$1500 to US$500, and abolished the requirement of public servants to resign their jobs three months in advance of the election.[7][8]

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.[9] The PIF and the Commonwealth Secretariat signalled they would require an invitation from the government to observe the elections.[10][11] President Waqa expressed an openness to international observers.[12] By June, both the PIF and Commonwealth Secretariat confirmed that they would observe the election.[13] The observer teams arrived in July.[14] The Commonwealth Secretariat's team was led by Anote Tong, former president of Kiribati.[15]

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.[16] 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.[17] Bernicke further accused Dabwido of "political point scoring" and attempting to influence the international observers with lies.[18]

Both the PIF and Commonwealth Secretariat found the 2016 parliamentary elections to be free and fair.[19][20]

Voting took place on 9 July, except in the Aiwo Constituency, where it was halted and delayed until 11 July.[21] 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.[22]

On 13 July the newly elected MPs elected the president, who was required by the constitution be a member of parliament.[23] 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.[24][25] 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.[26]

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.[27]