Nauru declares state of emergency and fresh elections

Updated April 18, 2008 22:07:12

President Marcus Stephen has dissolved parliament, imposed a state of emergency and announced fresh elections next week. [ABC]

Nauru's opposition leader, David Adeang, says the president should have resigned rather than move to declare a state of emergency.

The president, Marcus Stephen, also dissolved parliament and called fresh elections next week.

Mr Stephen says Mr Adeang, who is the parliamentary speaker, and his supporters have in recent weeks compromised due process to such an extent, that budget supply bills have been blocked and a number of investment projects on Nauru delayed.

He says Mr Adeang has even ignored the High Court after a ruling against him

"The chief justice of the Supreme court made that ruling that what he was doing - stalling - was wrong and was unconstitutional, but the speaker did not even listen to the chief justice," he said.

"We are really banging our heads on the wall with this - what he has done I think is unforgiveable."

The parliament has been deadlocked for weeks after the opposition, led by former foreign minister David Adeang, tried to remove President Stephen in a vote of no confidence.

Although the bid was unsuccessful, President Stephen failed to subsequently prevent Mr Adeang from being voted in as Speaker of the House.

Crisis following Easter parliamentary sitting

On Easter Saturday, Mr Adeang called a secret session of parliament without ruling government members.

The sitting passed a law banning MPs with dual citizenship from the chamber, a move which would have prevented stopped Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Kieren Keke and Commerce Minister Frederick Pitcher from entering parliament.

The Supreme Court later overturned the new law.

The presidential statement, reported by the Pacific News Service, says the opposition's actions are now threatening Nauru's economy.

"We can't stand by any longer while the opposition pursues its self-serving agenda of economic destruction, which is now starting to hurt every Nauruan," President Stephen's statement said.

"I believe the voters of Nauru will voice their disgust at the opposition's attempt to hold our democratic institutions to ransom."

The Nauruan opposition has yet to comment on the president's decision.

However late last month Mr Adeang told Radio Australia that "common sense" demanded that President Stephen "should resign, dissolve the house, and seek fresh elections".