Kiribati election results: Turnout was 58%, a record 5 women were elected to 45 seats in parliament

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The second round of elections on August 19 will determine the composition of the new government.
photo: Kiribati Newsroom/Rimon Rimon

A total of 30,699 Kiribati voters participated in the vote.
Twenty-seven MPs retained their seats in Maneaba ni Maungatabu, including incumbent president Taneti Maamau.
Seventeen new MPs were elected, including a record five women.

A record five female MPs were elected to the Kiribati Parliament, Maneaba ni Maungatabo, one more than in the last election, while a total of 14 incumbent MPs lost their seats in this year’s election.

The five female MPs are first-time MPs Ruth Cross Guansing (South Tarawa), Lavinia Titao Timu (Abaiang) and Ruta Gbagbo Manat (Maiana), former Speaker Tangariki Rete (Betio) and Leader of the Opposition in the last parliament Tessi Elia Lambourne (Abemama).

Manat, 35, is also the youngest woman elected to parliament, while Lavinia is the wife of veteran Kiritimati Island constituency MP Jacob. The Tims became the first couple ever to be elected to parliament at the same time.

Three of the 14 MPs who lost their seats were cabinet ministers in the previous government.

President Taneti Maamau also easily retained his seat in his home island of Onotoa.

Ministry of Culture and Interior Final results to be announced on Tuesdayheld a second round of elections on Monday to elect the remaining 19 members of the 45-seat House of Representatives.

Among them, 17 members were elected for the first time and 27 members were re-elected.

The first President of Kiribati, Sir Jeremiah Tabai, was also re-elected in Nonuti.

The voter turnout was 58% – 30,699 ballots were cast out of 52,941 eligible voters.

It took election officials two days to complete the count after the first round of ballot counting ended on Wednesday, August 14, as candidate representatives were not satisfied with the results.

However, the results of the second round were revealed more quickly.

“There have to be several recounts and they are hoping for a much improved count compared to the second round and election officials are trying to avoid the mistakes made in the first count,” said local resident Tulua Tinau.

‘It’s hard to predict’ who will form government

Another local source in Tarawa told New Zealand’s Pacific Radio that it was difficult to say who would form the government.

“It’s hard to predict because even if you have a majority, everything can change,” the source said.

“If your party has a majority in parliament, that does not guarantee your party will win the presidential election.

“In any case, if a candidate who fails to secure a majority wins, then they can simply offer government positions to members of other parties to attract them to their party, thereby increasing the number of MPs supporting that candidate.”

“But if they can’t get the support of a majority of MPs, they will certainly face a ‘no confidence’ motion.”

However, they said voters had shown through their ballots that they did not want a change in government.

“I think the majority of Kiribati people don’t need change and they have shown that in the election. We have more TKP members (excluding new MPs) than the opposition KKP and KMP.”