2020 Kiribati parliamentary election

2020 Kiribati parliamentary election

← 2015–16 14 April 2020 (first round) 21 April 2020 (second round) 2024 →
44 of the 45 seats in the House of Assembly 23 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	86.84% (first round) 87.88% (second round)
First party Second party   Leader Taneti Maamau Tessie Lambourne Party TKP BKM Leader's seat Onotoa Abemama Last election 31 13 Seats won 22 22 Seat change 9 9
Speaker before election Tebuai Uaai TKP Elected Speaker Tangariki Reete BKM

Politics of Kiribati
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Executive President Taneti Maamau Vice-President Teuea Toatu Cabinet
Legislative House of Assembly Speaker: Tangariki Reete Members
Judiciary Court of Appeal President: Sir Peter Blanchard High Court Chief Justice: Bill Hastings (suspended)
Elections Recent elections Presidential: 2016 2020 Parliamentary: 2015–16 2020 Political parties
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Parliamentary elections were held in Kiribati in 2020 to elect members of the House of Assembly. The elections were originally planned on 7 April 2020, with a second round of voting to be held on 15 April 2020.^[1] However, in late March the Electoral Commission changed the voting date to 14 April 2020,^[2] with a second round on 21 April 2020.^[3]

The elections resulted in President Taneti Maamau's pro-China Tobwaan Kiribati Party losing a majority in parliament to parties either supportive of Taiwan or critical of his handling of diplomatic recognition of China.^[4] However, on 22 May, during the first meeting of the new House, the 44 MPs were equally divided on two benches, with 22 supporting the new Boutokaan Kiribati Moa Party and 22 the Tobwaan Kiribati Party.

Electoral system[edit]

Of the 45 members of the House of Assembly, 44 were elected in 23 single- and multi-member constituencies (seven with one seat, eleven with two seats and five with three seats)^[5] using a modified two-round system. One member was chosen by the Rabi Council of Leaders to represent the Banaban community on Rabi Island in Fiji, while the Speaker is elected after the elections, from outside the House of Assembly, and does not participate in votes.^[6]

Voters have as many votes to cast as the number of seats in their constituencies. In the first round a candidate is elected if they receive more than 50% of the ballots cast.^[5] Where not all seats are filled, a second round is held with the number of candidates being equal to the number of seats remaining to be filled plus two, with those who received the fewest votes in the first round being eliminated. A tie in the second round results in a third round of voting.^[7]

Results[edit]

In the 2020 Kiribati parliamentary elections, the Tobwaan Kiribati Party (TKP) retained its position as the largest party, securing 13 out of 44 seats. Following the elections, the Boutokaan te Koaua (BTK) and the Kiribati Moa Party (KMP) merged to form the Boutokaan Kiribati Moa (BKM).

In the newly elected Parliament, TKP and BTK, along with their allies, each held 22 seats. Ms. Tangariki Reete became the first woman in Kiribati to be elected Speaker of the House of Assembly. The presidential candidates endorsed by the House were the outgoing President Taneti Maamau (TKP) and Banuera Berina (BKM).

Taneti Maamau was re-elected President on June 22, 2020. These elections were the first held after Kiribati switched allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019. The electoral campaign focused on climate change, and President Maamau pledged to boost tourism in the country. The political landscape saw defections and party mergers, with notable criticism of the decision to switch alliances.^[8]

By constituency[edit]

References[edit]