Marcus Stephen | |
|---|---|
 Stephen in 2009 | |
| President of Nauru | |
| In office 19 December 2007 – 10 November 2011 | |
| Deputy | Kieren Keke |
| Preceded by | Ludwig Scotty |
| Succeeded by | Freddie Pitcher |
| Speaker of Parliament | |
| Assumed office 27 August 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Cyril Buraman |
| Member of the Nauruan Parliament for Anetan | |
| Assumed office 27 August 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Cyril Buraman |
| In office 3 May 2003 – 13 July 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Vassal Gadoengin |
| Succeeded by | Sean Oppenheimer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 October 1969 Nauru[1] |
| Political party | Independent |
Marcus Ajemada Stephen (born 1 October 1969) is a Nauruan politician and former sportsperson who previously was a member of the Cabinet of Nauru, and who served as President of Nauru from December 2007 to November 2011. The son of Nauruan parliamentarian Lawrence Stephen, Stephen was educated at St Bedes College and RMIT University in Victoria, Australia. Initially playing Australian rules football, he opted to pursue the sport of weightlifting, in which he represented Nauru at the Summer Olympics and Commonwealth Games between 1990 and 2002, winning seven Commonwealth gold medals.
After his retirement from weightlifting, Stephen worked at the Bank of Nauru before being elected to parliament at the 2003 elections. Having occupied various portfolios in the Nauruan government under President René Harris, Stephen was sworn in as president after moving a no confidence motion against his predecessor, Ludwig Scotty. His term as president was marked by allegations of corruption and accusations of a coup d'état, as well as the declaration of a state of emergency and a suspension from parliament by the Nauruan Supreme Court in 2008. Two separate elections were called in April and June 2010 after accusations of bribery of government members of parliament, with another state of emergency declared in the period between elections. Stephen resigned from the presidency in November 2011 after further allegations of corruption were raised by opposition factions, and was succeeded by Freddie Pitcher, but was re-appointed to the Cabinet in June 2012 by Pitcher's successor as president, Sprent Dabwido. On 27 August 2019, Stephen was elected as the new Speaker of Parliament during its inaugural session.
- ^ The online report CNNSI.com - Olympic Sports - Mighty Stephen singlehandedly lifts Nauru to sporting heights (last changed on 15 September 2000) Archived 11 July 2012 at archive.today states that Stephen celebrated his 31st birthday on the final day of the 2000 Summer Olympics which was 1 October. Retrieved 31 December 2007.