Presidential elections were held in Kiribati on 13 January 2012,[1] following two-round parliamentary elections held in October 2011. Incumbent President Anote Tong sought re-election to a third four-year term, ending months of speculation about his decision.[2][3]
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Tong beat Tetaua Taitai of the United Coalition Party and Rimeta Beniamina of the Maurin Kiribati Party with a little over 42% of the vote.[4]
Background
editThe elections, initially scheduled for 30 December 2011, were postponed to 13 January 2012 in order to allow citizens of the country to travel to celebrate the New Year.[5]
Electoral system
editThe president was elected by popular vote from among three or four candidates chosen by MPs, and was limited to three four-year terms under the constitution.[6]
Campaign
editThe new House of Assembly of Kiribati nominated three candidates for the presidency following the 2011 parliamentary election.[6]
- Anote Tong, incumbent President of Kiribati since 2003, member of Pillars of Truth
- Tetaua Taitai, physician and politician, member of the United Coalition Party
- Rimeta Beniamina, former leader of the United Coalition Party and standing on behalf of the Maurin Kiribati Party
Results
editIncumbent President Anote Tong was the outright winner and re-elected as president of Kiribati, with an aggregate total of 14,315 votes or 42% of the total vote.[4] President Tong defeated his closest challenger, Tetaui Taitai, by more than 7%, or 2,500 votes.[4] The third challenger, Rimeta Beniamina, only received 7,738 votes. Tong was the leading candidate in 14 out of the 23 constituencies.[7][8]
President Tong's percentage of the vote (42%) was much less than his 2007 re-election, when he received 64% of the popular vote.[4]
Voter turnout was approximately 68% for the election.[7] This was higher than the 2007 presidential elections, when voter participation was a little over 50%.[4]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anote Tong | Pillars of Truth | 14,315 | 42.18 | |
| Tetaua Taitai | United Coalition Party | 11,886 | 35.02 | |
| Rimeta Beniamina | Maurin Kiribati Party | 7,738 | 22.80 | |
| Total | 33,939 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 49,910 | – | ||
| Source: IFES | ||||
References
edit- ^ Kiribati elections delayed Radio Australia, 30 December 2011
- ^ Matau, Robert (12 October 2011). "Tong confirms contesting next election". Islands Business. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "Kiribati President confident he can win third term". Radio New Zealand International. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Tong wins third term as Kiribati president". Radio Australia. 14 January 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Kiribati elections delayed". Australia News Network. 30 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Parliament Nominates 3 Candidates for Kiribati President". The Kiribati Independent. East–West Center's Pacific Islands Report. 25 November 2011. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Kiribati's Tong beats challengers to win third term". Radio New Zealand International. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ "Results of the 2012 Presidential Election in Kiribati". Kiribati Online Community. 14 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.