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General elections were held in Palau on 4 November 2008 to elect the President and members of the National Congress. The presidential election was won by Johnson Toribiong. Incumbent President Tommy Remengesau was ineligible to run because he had served the maximum two consecutive terms allowed and announced that he would run for a seat in the Senate. [1]
This was the first election in Palau in which presidential candidates ran with a declared vice-presidential candidates. [1] In previous elections, the President and vice-presidents had been elected separately, and the winners of those elections served as a "national leadership team". [1]
Primary elections were held on 23 September, [1] with two candidates progressing to the general election in November. Four candidates registered for the primary elections:
All four presidential candidates and their running mates held rallies throughout Palau. Campaigning also took place in overseas Palauan communities in the mainland United States, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. [1]
A total of 43 candidates ran for the thirteen seats in the Senate, [1] while 44 candidates contested the sixteen seats in the House of Delegates. [1] A record ten women were competing for seats in the Senate and House of Delegates, [1] with seven women running for the at large Senate race. [1]
Elias Chin and Johnson Toribiong were the top two vote-getters in the primary elections. Chin and Toribiong then faced each other in the general election. [2] In early, preliminary results Toribiong held a 130-vote lead over Chin, with 1,629 votes to Chin's 1,499. [3] Toribiong and his running mate, Kerai Mariur, were declared the winner of the election on 7 November. [4] It was reported that Toribiong had received a concession phone call from Vice-President Chin. [4]
Candidate | Running mate | Primary | General | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
Elias Camsek Chin | Alan Seid | 3,027 | 32.95 | 4,828 | 48.93 |
Johnson Toribiong | Kerai Mariur | 2,526 | 27.49 | 5,040 | 51.07 |
Surangel Whipps | Billy Kuartei | 2,248 | 24.47 | ||
Joshua Koshiba | Jackson Ngiraingas | 1,387 | 15.10 | ||
Total | 9,188 | 100.00 | 9,868 | 100.00 | |
Valid votes | 9,188 | 98.85 | 9,868 | 94.26 | |
Invalid/blank votes | 107 | 1.15 | 601 | 5.74 | |
Total votes | 9,295 | 100.00 | 10,469 | 100.00 | |
Registered voters/turnout | 14,289 | 73.27 | |||
Source: Shuster |
Surangel Whipps, Jr. has made history by becoming the first Senator to win by write-in and he also led all Senators with highest percentage (65.2%) of votes since his father achieved 73.5%.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independents | 121,994 | 100.00 | 13 | +4 | |
Total | 121,994 | 100.00 | 13 | +4 | |
Total votes | 10,469 | – | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 14,289 | 73.27 | |||
Source: IPU |
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independents | 5,853 | 100.00 | 16 | 0 | |
Total | 5,853 | 100.00 | 16 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 5,853 | 96.01 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 243 | 3.99 | |||
Total votes | 6,096 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 14,289 | 42.66 | |||
Source: IPU |
Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Aimeliik | Kalistus Ngirturong | 269 | Elected |
Warren Umetaro | 182 | ||
Airai | Tmewang Rengulbai | 525 | Elected |
Noah Secharraimul | 389 | ||
Angaur | Horace Rafael | 172 | Elected |
Natus Misech | 121 | ||
Hatohobei | Wayne Andrew | 40 | Elected |
Sebastian Marino | 35 | ||
Huan Hosei | 33 | ||
Kayangel | Noah Kemesong | 180 | Elected |
Jeffrey Titiml | 120 | ||
Koror | Alexander Merep | 1,845 | Elected |
Salvador Tellames | 700 | ||
Hilaro Ngiraidong | 385 | ||
Melekeok | Lencer Basilius | 171 | Elected |
Teodoro Rengulbai | 99 | ||
Kazuo Asanuma | 81 | ||
Danny Ongelungel | 60 | ||
Ngaraard | Gibson Kanai | 422 | Elected |
Salvador Remoket | 358 | ||
Ngarchelong | Marhence Madrangchar | 203 | Elected |
Faustina Rehuher-Marugg | 191 | ||
Dilmai Saiske | 188 | ||
Don Bukurrow | 164 | ||
Ngardmau | Rebluud Kesolei | 193 | Elected |
Balkuu Kumangai | 92 | ||
Ngaremlengui | Swenny Ongidobel | 218 | Elected |
Portia Franz | 136 | ||
Alonzo Kyota | 83 | ||
Ngatpang | Jerry Nabeyama | 97 | Elected |
Valentino Emesiochel | 89 | ||
Ngchesar | Secilil Eldebechel | 112 | Elected |
Moses Uludong | 99 | ||
Sirino Hideo | 52 | ||
Zacheus Kotaro | 44 | ||
Marcello Ngirkelau | 42 | ||
Bonifacio Basilius | 22 | ||
Ngiwal | Noah Idechong | 125 | Elected |
Krispin Termeteet | 52 | ||
Francis Llecholch | 41 | ||
Peleliu | Jonathan Isechal | 338 | Elected |
Sinton Soalablai | 256 | ||
Sonsorol | Celestin Yangilmau | 61 | Elected |
Edwin Mario | 42 | ||
Marcelino Xavier | 30 | ||
Source: Psephos |
Thomas Esang "Tommy" Remengesau Jr. is a Palauan politician; in 2013 he was elected the ninth president of Palau and was re-elected to that office in 2016. Previously he served as the seventh president of the island nation from 2001 to 2009. He served as a Senator in the Palau National Congress between his two administrations. In sum, Remengesau was elected Vice-President of Palau in 1992 and 1996, then president in 2000, 2004, 2012 and 2016.
Kuniwo Nakamura was a Palauan politician who served as the President of Palau from 1993 to 2001. He had earlier served as Vice President of Palau from 1989 to 1993, under Ngiratkel Etpison.
Elias Camsek Chin is a Palauan politician. He served as the Vice President of Palau from 1 January 2005 to 15 January 2009. He was elected as the president of the Senate of Palau from 16 January 2013 to 19 January 2017.
Roman Tmetuchl was a Palauan political leader and businessman. He grew up in Japanese-controlled Palau and joined the Kempeitai, the Japanese secret police, during World War II. After the war, he became the leader of Palau's Liberal Party. He worked in the Congress of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands from 1964 to 1978 and advocated for Palau gaining a separate status from the rest of Micronesia. He became governor of Airai and engaged in three unsuccessful Palauan presidential campaigns. As a businessman, Tmetuchl led several construction projects for his business holdings and for the Palauan community, including the Palau International Airport and a Seventh-Day Adventist clinic.
Johnson Toribiong is a Palauan attorney and politician. Toribiong became the president of Palau, following his victory in the November 2008 election, and left office in 2013. Before 2020 elections, Toribiong has run for president four times - in 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012.
Joshua Koshiba is a former member of the Senate of Palau. After his re-election in 2004, he became the longest-serving member of that body in the history of Palau. Koshiba was elected seven consecutive terms as Senator from 1980 to 2008.
Alan Rechuldak Seid is a Palauan businessman and politician of partially American Jewish origin. He was elected into House of Delegates of Palau from 1989 until 2000. He along with Chen Ding-nan agreed to build the Palasia Hotel in 1995. He was a senator in the Senate of Palau from 2005 to 2009 In the 2008 presidential election he was the running mate of Elias Camsek Chin.
Kerai Mariur was the Vice President of Palau.
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