Baron Waqa re- elected as Nauru President

Baron Waqa has been re-elected as Nauru President on the floor of Parliament by a vote of 16-2 today.

According to the Nauru Government, Waqa was “overwhelmingly re-elected by the people with increased majority in Parliament, bringing continuity and further stability to Nauru”

All members of the Waqa Government were re-elected except speaker Ludwig Scotty.

Cyril Buraman is the new speaker of Parliament. Asterio Appi is deputy speaker.

Other MPs from the last parliament who lost their seats include – Mathew Batsiua, Marcus Stephen, Sprent Dabwido and Squire Jeremiah

Six new members making their debut.

In his speech today, Waqa said the Parliament of Nauru re-elected him as President and he will accept the challenge of leading their small but proud nation once again.

“The people of Nauru have spoken, and it is with the greatest of humility and honour that I announce that they have overwhelmingly re-elected the current Government with an increased majority in Parliament

“Nauru has enjoyed three years of stability and progress, and we can now look forward to further continuity of government and longer-term stability.

“At this election, the people of Nauru took a strong stand against what they did not like over the last three years – the continual trashing of our country in the overseas media, the riots that were coordinated by Opposition MPs on Parliament House and other behaviour that is not consistent with Nauru’s culture, history, beliefs or way of life. The ringleaders of all of this behaviour were defeated.

Waqa said the election result is a firm vote of confidence in the Government’s economic and reform agenda.

“We went to the people confident that we had brought more prosperity to Nauru than our nation has seen for decades, and that we had moved on from the cronyism and corruption of previous administrations.

“Over the past three years, Nauru has been welcomed into the IMF and World Bank, created a financial fund for future generations, seen the re-establishment of banking operations in our country, reformed our legal system to one of the best in the Pacific and overseen a transition to full employment,” said Waqa.

Waqa said it is now time for all MPs in the new parliament to work together in the interests of Nauru.

“A new parliament means new opportunities to focus on what unites us, rather than what divides us. The new Government will work with all MPs in a constructive and consultative manner, to ensure that Nauru continues to grow and prosper.
 
Our motto is “God’s Will First”, and I appeal to all MPs and indeed all citizens to remember this as we advance together. We are not ashamed of our Christian heritage; it is a part of who we are as a people and where we are going as a nation,” he said.

SOURCE: PACNEWS