Russ Joseph Kun (born 8 September 1975) is a Nauruan politician who has been president of

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 ...

since being elected in the 2022 presidential election. He has served as a member of parliament for

Ubenide Ubenide is a constituency of Nauru made up of four districts: Baitsi, Denigomodu, Nibok, and Uaboe. It covers an area of 4.5 km² (1.73 mi²), making it the second largest constituency by area, and is the most populous constituency with a popul ...

since 2013.

Biography

Kun was born on 8 September 1975. He served as a

scrutineer A scrutineer (also called a poll-watcher or a challenger in the United States) is a person who observes any process which requires rigorous oversight. Scrutineers have the tasks of preventing the occurrence of corruption and of detecting genuine ...

for the

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

and 2004 general elections. He served as acting Secretary for the Ministry of Commerce Industry & Resources in 2005. He served as acting Chief Secretary in 2008 and as acting Secretary of Home Affairs in 2012. Prior to entering Parliament, he worked for the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment. Kun also was a member of the Nauru National Commission for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

from 2008 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2013. Kun was first elected to 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.

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 ...

, as one of the four members from

Ubenide Constituency Ubenide is a constituency of Nauru made up of four districts: Baitsi, Denigomodu, Nibok, and Uaboe. It covers an area of 4.5 km² (1.73 mi²), making it the second largest constituency by area, and is the most populous constituency with a popu ...

. He was re-elected in 2016,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, and

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeyp ...

. In the last Aingimea government, Kun was deputy minister for Finance, Nauru Ports, Tourism, and National Heritage and Museum. Kun is a member of the

Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption The Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC; Arabic: المنظمة العالمية للبرلمانيين ضد الفساد; French: ''Organisation mondiale des parlementaires contre la corruption''; Spanish: "Organi ...

(GOPAC). After attending a GOPAC workshop, he led efforts to develop a code of ethics for the Parliament of Nauru. To this end, he served as chair of the parliamentary Standing Committee on the Leadership Code. In the first parliament sitting after the 2022 general election, Kun was the sole nominee for

President of Nauru The president of Nauru is elected by Parliament from among its members, and is both the head of state and the head of government of Nauru. Nauru's unicameral Parliament has 19 members, with an electoral term of 3 years. Political parties only p ...

. He was sworn in along with his cabinet on 29 September. His own portfolios include foreign affairs and justice and border control.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kun, Russ Living people 1975 births People from Uaboe District Members of the Parliament of Nauru Presidents of Nauru Government ministers of Nauru Nauruan civil servants 21st-century Nauruan politicians