Nauru's president has no political opponents after all lawmakers joined the government side

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Nauru’s president, David Adeang, has announced that all opposition lawmakers in parliament have joined his government

Nauru’s president, David Adeang, has announced that all opposition lawmakers in parliament have joined his government

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Nauru’s president, David Adeang, has said all opposition lawmakers in parliament have joined his government, a move he said reflected “unity, stability and shared purpose” in the Pacific Island country’s politics.

The unusual move leaves the 19-member parliament without any political opposition. While it’s common for island countries in the South Pacific Ocean to take fluid approaches to forming government and opposition blocs or for lawmakers to switch between them, political debate is habitually robust and Nauru is rare in having no opposing politicians at all.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, Adeang didn’t explain what had prompted the change beyond a “shared commitment” to put Nauru's interests first. He also didn’t suggest who would supply the scrutiny usually provided by opponents in a country with a single house of parliament.

“There will still be a diversity of views and robust debate as in any strong and healthy democracy,” Adeang wrote.

The appointment of two lawmakers, Pyon Deiye and Jason Bingham Agir, as deputy cabinet ministers meant that Nauru’s parliament was in total support of the government for the first time since the country’s independence in 1968, Adeang said.

Government Facebook posts announcing the change were the sole source of information about it; all news outlets in the country of 12,000 people are government-owned. Foreign reporters are discouraged from traveling there, with journalist visa applications priced at 8,000 Australian dollars ($5,445).

Adeang made global news headlines in August when he said his country would officially become known as Naoero, making it the latest state to formally adopt the local spelling of its name. It brought international attention to a country visited by few.

Nauru, a constitutional republic and United Nations member, is one of the world’s smallest countries by both…

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