13 Jun 2016

Nauru parliament dissolved; election July 9

7:18 pm on 13 June 2016
The Chamber of Parliament, Nauru

The chamber of Nauru's parliament. Photo: Supplied

Nauru's parliament has been dissolved ahead of a general election which will be held on the 9th of July.

The Speaker of Parliament, Ludwig Scotty, has issued a writ to the electoral commissioner.

In a statement, the government says election candidates can be nominated from this Sunday until the 25th of June.

Last week, the government lowered the fee for prospective candidates to US$360 after it had hiked the amount just three months ago to US$1,400.

The term of President Baron Waqa has gone through several bouts of political controversy, including the suspension of most opposition MPs, and the decision to remove the former chief justice and resident magistrate, which saw New Zealand suspend its aid to Nauru's justice sector.