Nauru government confident of poll victory
Updated
![Rene Harris, who dominated Nauru politics as president for many years, has lost his seat in the vote. [AFP]](http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/img/news/base/nauru_harris_afp_121101.jpg "Rene Harris, who dominated Nauru politics as president for many years, has lost his seat in the vote. [AFP]")
Rene Harris, who dominated Nauru politics as president for many years, has lost his seat in the vote. [AFP]
The government in Nauru is confident it has been returned to power following Sunday's national elections.
The president, Marcus Stephen, declared a State of Emergency nine days ago and called the snap election to break a nine-all stalemate in the 18-member Nauru parliament.
All nine government MPs have been returned while three Opposition Members, including the fiesty former president, Rene Harris, lost their seats.
Rene Harris dominated politics in Nauru for several years - as the president who invited Australian PM John Howard to use Nauru for the Pacific Solution, through which his tiny Pacific nation became the location for processing centres for ayslum seekers.
He was also president when Nauru went bankrupt, and has spent the past few years in opposition, before he almost got back into government a month ago through a vote of no confidence.
There are no political parties in Nauru but the government is confident it will have the support of at least one of the new members to give it at least a nine-eight majority after the election of a Speaker.
The outgoing Speaker, Opposition MP David Adeang, has been returned - coming second his four member constituency to one of the two Government Ministers he tried to ban from Parliament for holding duel Nauruan and Australian citizenship.
