A former president of Nauru says the defeat of a referendum on constitutional reform may show a lack of confidence in the government.
Voters overwhelmingly rejected the referendum, which contained more than 30 changes designed to stablise government and strengthen human rights.
The acting president Dr Kieren Keke says some opposition MPs generated uncertainty about several minor changes, which deterred people from supporting the referendum.
But former president and opposition MP, Ludwig Scotty, says the failure of the referendum is a reflection on the government.
"Some of the people on Nauru, they think the referendum was generated by the government itself. So you see the people of Nauru, they don't agree to the referendum, don't you think that's a sort of no confidence against the government, if according to Dr Keke he says that the opposition generated the issue."
Ludwig Scotty says he voted for the referendum.
But he says there was no general view on the opposition side, and some opposition members may have acted according to their own thoughts.
