2011 Kiribati parliamentary election

Kiribati is an electoral democracy. Electoral laws were last updated in Kiribati in 2007.[7] Everybody over the age of 18 is eligible to vote in Kiribati elections. There are 23 single and multi-member districts across the country, creating a total of 44 seats. Candidates are elected in rounds using a direct majoritarian system. In the first round, a candidate is said to have won the seat if they receive over 50% of the valid votes cast. If no candidate receives 50% of the valid votes cast, a run-off election is held within a week of the original. In a run-off election, only the top candidates from the first election will appear on the ballot. In a multi-member district with three seats vacant, the top five candidates from the first election will advance to the run-off. In a district with two vacant seats, the top four candidates will advance to the run-off.

The same rule applies for a three-seat constituency in which one candidate has already succeeded in winning 50% of the valid votes cast in the first election and been declared elected. In single-seat districts, the top three candidates move forward to the run-off.[8] In addition to the 44 elected members of the Kiribati Parliament, there is one ex-officio member appointed from Banaba Island, and another ex-officio member serving as the Attorney General. All members serve 4-year terms.[9] The member from Banaba Island is appointed by the Rabi Island Council. Though Rabi Island is part of Fiji, many of its residents were originally from Kiribati's Banaba Island. While under British control, many Banaba Island residents were forced to move to Rabi Island as mining for phosphates made the island uninhabitable.

There are four parties in Kiribati: Pillars of Truth, United Coalition Party, Karikirakean Tei-Kiribati, and Maurin Kiribati Party. Out of the island's approximately 104,000 residents, 40,000 are registered to vote. The Pillars of Truth Party was the first party to form and rule after Kiribati's independence in 1979, and thus enjoys the most name recognition and the most votes of any party.[10] The United Coalition Party formed from a group of independents and has become the main opposition to the Pillars of Truth. Though political parties exist, they tend to be loosely organized and lack fixed ideologies or formal platforms. Geography, tribal ties, personal loyalties, and relative climate change impact have a larger say in political ideology than any one party.

On the first election day on October 21, 2011, 22 candidates secured the required 50% of valid votes to be elected in the first round. Candidates elected in the first round included the caretaker President Tong, former President Tito, and outgoing Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ms. Teima Onorio. Elections were postponed in two atolls due to the late arrival of ballots. In the second round of the election on October 28, 2011, 21 more candidates were elected, bringing the total elected by the end of the second round to 43. In an unprecedented election, Kiribati had to hold a third round of elections on November 3, 2011 due to a tie in one district.[11]

There were concerns that people would not vote. Officials told the media that voter participation was low, which caused officials to do a tour of the country and advocate for people to vote.[12] Official voter turnout rates are unavailable for all the constituencies of Kiribati.

Out of the 44 elected seats, 30 members were reelected. The Pillars of Truth Party received 15 seats, a reduction of 3 seats compared to the last election. The United Coalition Party did not receive any seats, losing 7 since the last election; however, merged with Karikirakean Tei-Kiribati. The Karikirakean Tei-Kiribati gained 10 seats and the Maurin Kiribati Party gained 3. Independent politicians make up the rest of the Kiribati Parliament, accounting for 16 seats, an increase of 2 seats since the last election.[13]

There is no gender quota; however, there is an effort to get more women to run for office. Given that Pacific Island nations have the lowest rate of women in parliament in the world, the United Nations Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the UNDP Pacific Center ran a mock parliament for women in 2011 to build the capacity of female candidates. In advance of the Kiribati elections, a Mock Parliament for Women was run in August 2011. Thirty women participated, including 17 from the outer islands and 13 from Tarawa. The national elections held in October resulted in the re-election of 3 incumbent women, and the election of a new parliamentarian, Mrs. Maere Tekanene from South Tarawa, ultimately becoming Kiribati's Minister of Education[16] Additionally, Ms. Teima Onorio was elected to become the Vice President of Kiribati.[17] The 2011 Kiribati election marked a milestone for women in politics in the South Pacific, with many saying that the mock parliament was instrumental in giving them the courage and experience needed to run for public office.

60,000 people in Kiribati were eligible to vote in 2011; however, only 43,343 actually registered.[18] Turnout was reportedly higher in the outer islands but did not surpass 45 per cent in the more urban areas. The President accused China of meddling in the election after Kiribati switched its diplomatic recognition from China to Taiwan.[19]

Climate change is heavily impacting Kiribati.[20] There was criticism that the Pillars of Truth Party was spending too much time focusing on climate change, and not enough time on job creation or government corruption. Kiribati is made of 33 atolls and is threatened by rising sea levels. In September 2011, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Kiribati and stated that climate change posed the most serious threat to the livelihoods, security and survival of the island-nation's residents and the inhabitants of the wider Pacific region. His visit made climate change a major election issue in the 2011 elections.[7] The damage climate change is causing in Kiribati, as well as recognition from the United Nations that climate change is a threat to the country have caused climate change to be a growing issue for politics in Kiribati.