Palau was initially settled around 1000 BC.
The politics of Palau take place in a presidential representative democratic republic,whereby the President of Palau is both head of state and head of government. Palau currently has no political parties and is a de facto non-partisan democracy although there is no law preventing the formation of political parties.
Antonio Borja Won Pat was a Guamanian politician and member of the Democratic Party of Guam. He served as the first Delegate from Guam to the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1985.
Palau has a bicameral legislature,the Palau National Congress,consisting of the House of Delegates and the Senate of Palau,which both sit at the capitol complex in Ngerulmud,Melekeok State. The House of Delegates has 16 members,each serving four-year terms in single-seat constituencies. The Senate has 13 members,also serving four-year terms in multi-seat constituencies. In the last elections,held in 2020,only non-partisans were elected;no political parties exist.
Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu,along with two small islands to its northeast,forms one of the sixteen states of Palau. The island is notable as the location of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II.
Angaur,or Ngeaur in Palauan,is an island and state in the island nation of Palau.
The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) are international agreements establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM),the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI),and the Republic of Palau. As a result,these countries are sometimes known as the Freely Associated States (FASs). All three agreements next expire in 2043.
Ngaraard is one of the 16 states of the Republic of Palau,and was originally named Kerradel.
The Senate of Palau is the upper house of the Palau National Congress. The Senate has 13 members serving four-year terms in multi-seat constituencies. Since Januaru 2025,the Senate has 15 members. No political parties exist. The most recent election was held on 3 November 2020.
The House of Delegates of Palau is the lower house of the Palau National Congress,Palau's bicameral legislature. The Senate of Palau is the upper house. The House of Delegates has 16 members,each serving four-year terms in single-seat constituencies. Each state represents one constituency. No political parties exist. The last election was held on 5 November 2024.
The Supreme Court of Palau is the highest court of Palau. Article X of the Constitution vests the Supreme Court with judicial power and provides for its operation and jurisdiction. The Supreme Court is divided into a Trial Division and an Appellate Division. Cases are adjudicated by a single justice in the Trial Division and appeals are heard by panels of three different justices in the Appellate Division. The Trial Division of the Supreme Court has jurisdiction over all civil matters over $10,000 and criminal matters not assigned to the Court of Common Pleas and adjudication of land interests. The Supreme Court also handles disciplinary and other special proceedings. The Supreme Court consists of Appellate and Trial Divisions. Chief Justice,Oldiais Ngiraikelau,and Associate Justices John K. Rechucher and Fred M. Isaacs are currently serving in the former division,while Presiding Justice,Kathleen M. Salii and Associate Justice Lourdes F. Materne serve in the latter one. Other judges are invited to sit on an as-needed basis as Associate Justices Pro Tem or Part-Time Associate Justices.
General elections were held in Palau on 4 November 1980 to elect a president,vice-president,Senate and House of Delegates. All candidates ran as independents. Haruo Remeliik won the election for president with 31.2% of the vote,whilst Alfonso Oiterong was elected vice-president. Voter turnout was 80%.
The Congress of Micronesia was a bicameral legislature in Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands from 1964 to 1979.
Palauan nationality law is regulated by the 1980 Constitution of Palau,as amended;the 1994 Palau Citizenship Act,and its revisions;and international agreements entered into by the Palauan government. These laws determine who is,or is eligible to be,a national of Palau. The legal means to acquire nationality,formal legal membership in a nation,differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation,known as citizenship. Palauan nationality is typically obtained either on the principle of jus soli,i.e. by birth in Palau or under the rules of jus sanguinis,i.e. by birth abroad to parents with Palauan nationality. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country through naturalization.
Maria Gates-Meltel is a politician and civil servant in Palau who served as governor of Angaur state from 2011 to 2014.
Haruo Ngiraked Willter is a Palauan civil servant and politician,and former Minister of Administration of Palau responsible for public finances.
Mario S. Gulibert is a Palauan politician,a member of the House of Delegates since 1988,a former speaker of the House of Delegates of Palau from January 2001 to April 2004,and a former floor leader.
Ignacio Anastacio is a Palauan businessman,politician and a former speaker of the House of Delegates of Palau from January 1997 to November 2000.
Shiro Kyota is a Palauan politician and a former speaker of the House of Delegates of Palau from January 1989 to November 1992.
John Obeldabl Ngiraked (1932–2003) was a Palauan politician and criminal.
