1987 Kiribati presidential election
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| Turnout | 78.3% ( 9.0pp ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 Map of margin of victory by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Presidential elections were held in Kiribati on 12 May 1987. Three candidates for the presidency were chosen from among members of parliament; incumbent president Ieremia Tabai, incumbent vice-president Teatao Teannaki and opposition member Teburoro Tito.
The campaign was heavily centred on a controversial deal that Tabai had negotiated with the Soviet Union in 1985, which granted the USSR fishing rights in the waters around Kiribati. Religion also had a significant effect on the political divide, with Protestants generally supporting Tabai's government and Catholics generally supporting the opposition. In addition, Tabai's candidacy was subject to a legal challenge, as the constitution limited presidents to three terms. The court declined to issue an injunction, allowing Tabai to run for president on the argument that he was elected as chief minister instead of president in 1978.
The results saw Tabai re-elected with 50.1% of the vote, with Tito finishing second with 42.7% of the vote. Teannaki received 7.2%.
Background
President Ieremia Tabai was re-elected in 1983 with a strong mandate and support in parliament. Tabai entered talks with the Soviet Union in March 1985, negotiating access to the waters around Kiribati for tuna fishing.[1] The deal prompted backlash both domestically and internationally, but Tabai justified it by saying that it was "simply a commercial deal" and provided the nation a way to earn its income instead of relying on foreign aid.[2] Tabai's opponents expressed concerns that his actions would drive away neighbouring allies, cut off access to foreign aid, invite sanctions, or risk eroding democracy in favour of communism.[3]
The
Candidates
Six members of parliament nominated themselves as candidates, but three dropped out prior to the election. Ieremia Tabai, Teatao Teannaki, and Teburoro Tito were the final candidates.[7] Opposition leader Harry Tong had originally been considered as a candidate, but he stepped aside in favour of Tito.[8]
Tabai and Teannaki were the incumbent president and vice-president, respectively, and they had both run as pro-government candidates in the 1982 and 1983 elections. Tito was a Catholic and a newly elected member of parliament from the Teinainano Urban Council constituency in South Tarawa. He had previously worked as an education officer organising soccer tournaments and had recently attended the University of the South Pacific. Tito built a reputation as "an energetic, highly articulate man" and garnered the favour of Catholic voters.[9]
Campaign
The opposition was energised by Tabai's victory in 1983 and the subsequent controversy around his fishing agreement with the Soviet Union.
By 1987, Tabai's opposition came primarily from Catholics, aligned with the pro-labour movement that had previously been influential in the nation.[10] As they had in 1983, Catholics accused the Tabai government of favouring Protestants.[15] In Tarawa, Catholic churches ended sermons with pleas for their members to register to vote.[13] The Protestant Church countered by campaigning in the outer islands, alleging that the Catholic Church was plotting against the Tabai government.[6]
Eligibility challenge
Under the Constitution of Kiribati, a person is only allowed to be elected president three times, at which point they reach a term limit.[5] It was legally ambiguous whether the 1978 election counted towards his term limit, as the chief minister inherited the presidency upon the nation's independence in 1979. Tong issued a legal challenge, arguing that Tabai's elections in the 1978 chief minister election and the 1982 and 1983 presidential elections made him ineligible to be a candidate in 1987. The Attorney General of Kiribati argued in Tabai's defence.[16]
As Tong had begun proceedings before he was re-elected in the parliamentary election, the
The court also determined that it was not allowed to directly interpret the constitution unless it was on request of the speaker or the attorney general.[17] Tabai was ultimately allowed to run in the 1987 election, meaning that his 1978 election had not been for the presidency and he had only been elected to the presidency twice.[12]
Results
The election was held on 12 May.
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Ieremia Tabai | 10,800 | 50.12 |
| Teburoro Tito | 9,197 | 42.68 |
| Teatao Teannaki | 1,550 | 7.19 |
| Total | 21,547 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 78.3 | |
| Source: Somoza[19] | ||
| Constituency | Total votes | Tabai | Teannaki | Tito |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abaiang | 1,448 | 26.2% | 44.2% | 29.6% |
| Abemama | 1,056 | 33.4% | 3.4% | 63.2% |
| Aranuka | 303 | 63.0% | 3.3% | 33.7% |
| Arorae | 825 | 98.4% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Banaba | 62 | 38.7% | 12.9% | 48.4% |
| Beru | 1,017 | 68.1% | 6.9% | 25.0% |
| Betio | 1,947 | 53.7% | 6.3% | 40.0% |
| Butaritari | 1,487 | 22.5% | 4.5% | 73.0% |
| Kiritimati | 550 | 44.4% | 6.7% | 48.9% |
| Kuria | 430 | 58.8% | 3.3% | 37.9% |
| Maiana | 900 | 64.8% | 5.6% | 29.6% |
| Makin | 735 | 32.4% | 4.2% | 63.4% |
| Marakei | 1,143 | 15.8% | 4.0% | 80.2% |
| Nikunau | 784 | 70.2% | 4.3% | 25.5% |
| Nonouti | 1,044 | 61.2% | 1.7% | 37.1% |
| North Tarawa | 907 | 35.9% | 11.5% | 52.6% |
| Onotoa | 931 | 87.4% | 4.0% | 8.6% |
| Tabiteuea North | 1,051 | 35.2% | 1.2% | 63.6% |
| Tabiteuea South | 496 | 47.0% | 2.2% | 50.8% |
| Tabuaeran | 175 | 53.7% | 2.3% | 44.0% |
| Tamana | 848 | 98.7% | 0.1% | 1.2% |
TUC
|
3,288 | 46.8% | 5.5% | 47.7% |
| Teraina | 120 | 55.8% | 5.8% | 38.2% |
| Total | 21,547 | 50.1% | 7.2% | 42.7% |
Aftermath
Though Tabai's new government lacked a majority after the election, occasional support from independent members of parliament allowed him to maintain control over the legislature.[21] Tito succeeded Tong as the opposition leader following the latter's resignation in 1989.[22] Tabai was term-limited after the 1987 election, so he supported Teannaki in the 1991 election. Teannaki won and succeeded Tabai.[12]
Notes
- ^ Van Trease 1993, p. 60.
- ^ Van Trease 1993, pp. 61–62.
- ^ Van Trease 1993, p. 62.
- ^ Van Trease 1993, pp. 62–63.
- ^ a b Van Trease 1993, p. 64.
- ^ a b Van Trease 1993, p. 68.
- ^ Van Trease 1993, pp. 68, 70.
- ^ Van Trease 1993, pp. 65, 70.
- ^ a b Van Trease 1993, p. 70.
- ^ a b Van Trease 1993, p. 63.
- ^ Bataua 1987a, p. 25.
- ^ a b c Somoza 2001, p. 675.
- ^ a b c Van Trease 1993, p. 67.
- ^ a b Bataua 1987b, p. 24.
- ^ Van Trease 1993, pp. 67–68.
- ^ a b Van Trease 1993, p. 65.
- ^ a b Van Trease 1993, p. 66.
- ^ Somoza 2001, p. 679.
- ^ a b Somoza 2001, p. 682.
- ^ Van Trease 1993, p. 69.
- ^ Van Trease 1993, pp. 70–71.
- ^ Van Trease 1993, p. 71.
References
- Bataua, Batiri T. (1 May 1987a). "Strong Turnout in Kiribati Elections". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 58, no. 5. p. 25.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Bataua, Batiri T. (1 July 1987b). "Kiribati election results". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 58, no. 7. p. 24.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Somoza, Alexander (2001). "Kiribati". In Nohlen, Dieter; Grotz, Florian; Hartmann, Christof (eds.). Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook: Volume II: South East Asia, East Asia, and the South Pacific. ISBN 9780191600012.
- Van Trease, Howard, ed. (1993). Atoll Politics: The Republic of Kiribati. ISBN 978-0-9583300-0-8.
