Leader takes office as Australia attempts to repeal medevac laws and Nauru accused of blocking medical care to refugees

Nauru’s new president, Lionel Aingimea, says he will be like a “father of the nation”, guiding and protecting the South Pacific island’s 12,000 people.

Aingimea won the vote for presidency on Tuesday, 12 votes to six, against the former finance minister David Adeang.

The former president Baron Waqa, who has led the nation for the past six years, lost his bid for re-election at last weekend’s poll.

Aingimea said the people of Nauru were like “children that need protecting and guiding”.

“My vision for Nauru is for us to work together, all members of parliament, because everybody has a contribution,” he said. “Everyone has ideas, everyone needs those ideas to be voiced and, when they need to be tempered, to be tempered.

“That’s my vision that we work together as a unit, for the prosperity and the betterment of Nauru.”

Republic of Nauru (@Republic_Nauru) President Aingimea wants unity for Nauru https://t.co/08hmgBvgDB #Nauru #unity pic.twitter.com/QBaLyTcVJz

In 2015 he attracted controversy as secretary of justice for overseeing Nauru’s ban on Facebook and other websites. He will announce his cabinet on Wednesday.

The outgoing president’s support was critical to Nauru hosting one of Australia’s asylum seeker detention facilities on the island.

The parliamentary election was held on Saturday. Seven thousand people voted to choose the 19-member parliament.

Aingimea will inherit a humanitarian crisis for almost 300 refugees remaining on Nauru, with the Nauruan government accused of blocking some medical care to refugees and the Australian government attempting to repeal medevac laws.

On Friday a 36-year-old Pakistani refugee set himself alight.

Medevac laws allow for doctors to arrange for the urgent medical transfer of a refugee from Nauru or Manus Island to Australia. In February the Nauru government passed laws that prevented residents of Nauru from being granted a medical transfer to Australia if the referral was based on an online consultation, which is common in the treatment of refugees.