A delegation from Commonwealth Parliamentary Association International Headquarters met with the Parliament of Nauru from 19 to 23 January 2026 as part of a CPA Benchmarks self-assessment exercise.

The CPA’s Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures provide a framework for excellence in Commonwealth parliamentary and legislative practice and, building on the 2006 and 2018 versions of the Benchmarks, were updated in 2025 to create a set of standards which meet high levels of good governance and robust parliamentary democracy. In recent years, a total of 43 Commonwealth Legislatures have undertaken self-assessments against the CPA Benchmarks. The Parliament of Nauru is now the 44th to do so.

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. Nauru is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, the third smallest country in the world with a population of around 12,000 people.

The CPA Democratic Benchmarks self-assessment was undertaken by Anne Sargent, Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Council at the Parliament of Victoria and Fraser McIntosh, Good Governance Project Manager at the CPA Headquarters.

As part of their visit, the CPA delegation met with the Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru, Hon. Marcus Stephen, MP and the Parliament of Nauru’s Clerk, Ms Ann-Marie Cain, as well as wider Members and staff from across the House.

The CPA team also held discussions with a range of other stakeholders including Nauru’s Government; Electoral Commission, Attorney-General and Auditor-General, in addition to representatives of Nauruan civil society groups and media outlets.

Speaking about the CPA Democratic Benchmarks self-assessment, the Speaker of Nauru’s Parliament, Hon. Marcus Stephen, said: