[4] Harris served until 2003, but with the budget deficit increasing to almost half of Nauru's gross domestic product by 2002 and many government workers having not been paid in months, he was ousted after an extended deadlock in parliament in January 2003.
[9] Major issues in the election included corruption and the mismanagement of the finances of Nauru, combined with declining incomes from the mining of phosphate.
[10] This had led the Asian Development Bank to state that Nauru's economy was in big trouble, with many public sector workers receiving their first pay in months on the day before the election.
[14] Audoa had had responsibility for the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust removed by President Gioura and the two men had fallen out as a result.
[17] With parliament evenly split between supporters of former president Kinza Clodumar, Nauru First member David Adeang and Ludwig Scotty, nobody was then willing to be elected speaker.
[1] As a result, Nauru First member Fabian Ribauw was elected speaker and in return Ludwig Scotty was able to get enough support to become president.