Elections for the Local Government Council were held for the first time in Nauru on 15 December 1951.
[2] The Council of Chiefs did not have any powers and served only to advise the Administrator, who did not have to heed their advice.
[3] The Council sent a petition to the 1948–49 session of the United Nations Trusteeship Council, complaining that "the Native inhabitants still had no voice in the formulation of general administration policies or in the control of the finances in the island.
"[3] However, the Australian Acting Minister for External Territories Cyril Chambers persuaded the Council to withdraw the petition.
[1] The elections were held under universal suffrage and any eligible voter could stand as a candidate.