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 edit
The 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 edit
The 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 edit
The 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 edit
Incumbent 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 (2011-10-12). "Tong confirms contesting next election". Islands Business. Archived from the original on 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ^ "Kiribati President confident he can win third term". Radio New Zealand International. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ^ a b c d e "Tong wins third term as Kiribati president". Radio Australia. 2012-01-14. Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ "Kiribati elections delayed". Australia News Network. 2011-12-30. Archived from the original on 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ a b "Parliament Nominates 3 Candidates for Kiribati President". The Kiribati Independent. East–West Center's Pacific Islands Report. 2011-11-25. Archived from the original on 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
- ^ a b "Kiribati's Tong beats challengers to win third term". Radio New Zealand International. 2012-01-14. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
- ^ "Results of the 2012 Presidential Election in Kiribati". Kiribati Online Community. 2012-01-14. Archived from the original on 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2012-01-15.