Lionel Rouwen Aingimea (born 2 September 1965) is a

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in K ...

an lawyer and politician. He served as the fifteenth president of Nauru from 2019 to 2022. He currently serves as Deputy Speaker of the

Parliament of Nauru The Parliament of Nauru has 19 members, elected for a three-year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.

Early life

Aingimea was born in September 1965 into the Deiboe tribe. He studied law in Australia and subsequently worked for the Regional Rights Resource Team NGO,Nauru Parliament picks lawyer Lionel Aingimea for president
Deutsche Welle, 27 August 2019 and as a public defender in the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

.Lionel Rouwen Aingimea elected President of Nauru
PMN News, 27 August 2019 He later worked as a lecturer in law at the

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the gov ...

Political career

Aingimea ran for election to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

in the

Meneng Constituency Meneng Constituency is one of the constituencies of Nauru. It returns three members to the Parliament of Nauru in Yaren. Previously, the Meneng Constituency returned two members of parliament, but in June 2013, the Electoral Act was amended to ad ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

, but failed to be elected. Following the elections, he joined the new administration of President Baron Waqa as Secretary for Justice. After successfully contesting the Meneng seat in the

2016 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2016. Africa Benin Republic *2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016 Cape Verde * 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016 Chad * 2016 Chadian presidential election 10 A ...

, he was appointed Assistant Minister for Justice and Border Control in Waqa's government, serving under Minister for Justice

David Adeang David Waiau Adeang (born 24 November 1969) is a Nauruan politician, former Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru, and Nauru's Minister of Finance and Justice, as well as the Minister Assisting the President of Nauru. He is a founding member of the ...

. He was re-elected in the

2019 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2019. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems has a calendar of upcoming elections around the world, and the National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections in coun ...

, which saw Waqa lose his seat. Following the elections, he was elected President by Parliament, defeating Adeang by twelve votes to six.Nauru's Parliament elects former human rights lawyer Lionel Aingimea as President
ABC News, 27 August 2019 After Russ Kun's election as president, on 28 September 2022, Aingimea began serving as Deputy Speaker under Speaker Marcus Stephen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aingimea, Lionel Members of the Parliament of Nauru Presidents of Nauru Nauruan lawyers Nauruan educators University of the South Pacific faculty Nauruan civil servants Living people 1965 births 21st-century Nauruan politicians