Voters in Nauru go to the polls

Life is a struggle on the island, with unemployment at around 90%

People in the Pacific island of Nauru have voted in an elections aimed at ending months of political paralysis.

The snap poll was called by President Marcus Stephen amid intractable divisions in the 18-member parliament.

The government has the support of nine MPs, as does the opposition, leaving a stalemate and stalled decision-making.

Phosphate mining once made Nauru, the world's smallest republic, one of the richest places on earth, but it is now labouring under a mountain of debt.

Sixty-five candidates are standing in the election and it could take several days before a new government emerges.

The BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney says months of political deadlock have stalled vital decisions on Nauru's budget and investment projects, while public servants' wages have also gone unpaid.

Bad luck and government mismanagement have brought tough times for Nauru's population of 13,000, says our correspondent.

The country's debts are now approaching $1bn (£0.5bn).

Australia recently closed an off-shore camp for asylum seekers, which had generated millions of dollars for the Nauruan government.

Now, though, phosphate exports have resumed, and President Stephen, a former Commonwealth Games weightlifting champion, is hoping voters will give him a clear mandate to govern, ending the political stalemate.