| First Lady of Palau | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Inaugural holder | Regina Remeliik |
| Formation | 2 March 1981 |
First Lady of Palau is the official title attributed to the wife of the president of Palau. The country's current first lady is Valerie Whipps, wife of President Surangel Whipps Jr., who had held the position since 21 January 2021.
| Name | Portrait | Term Began | Term Ended | President | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regina Namiko Remeliik [1] | 2 March 1981 | 30 June 1985 | Haruo Remeliik | Born Regina Blaires, she worked a nurse and teacher before becoming the inaugural First Lady of Palau. [1] [2] [3] President Remeliik was assassinated on June 30, 1985. [1] | |
| Ferista Esang Remengesau | 30 June 1985 | 2 July 1985 | Thomas Remengesau Sr. | Served as First Lady during both her husband's short tenures. Esang Remengesau was also the mother of President Tommy Remengesau. [4] | |
| Josepha Oiterong | 2 July 1985 | 25 October 1985 | Alfonso Oiterong | [5] [6] | |
| Christina Salii | 25 October 1985 | 20 August 1988 | Lazarus Salii | Known as Tina Salii, she was First Lady from 1985 until President Salii's death in office in 1988. [7] In 2007, Salii was named Dilbuked of Ngerchedok Clan of Ngebuked village in Ngaraard state, the counterpart to the traditional male chiefs. [8] Salii and the late president are the parents of Kathleen M. Salii, the first female Palauan justice of the Supreme Court of Palau. [9] | |
| Ferista Esang Remengesau | 20 August 1988 | 1 January 1989 | Thomas Remengesau Sr. | Ferista Esang Remengesau's second tenure as First Lady of Palau. [4] | |
| ? | 1 January 1989 | 1 January 1993 | Ngiratkel Etpison | ||
| Elong Nakamura | 1 January 1993 | 1 January 2001 | Kuniwo Nakamura | Former First Lady Elong Ebiledil Nakamura died on November 17, 2018, at the age of 74. [10] [11] | |
| Debbie Remengesau |  | 1 January 2001 | 15 January 2009 | Tommy Remengesau Jr. | Remengesau's first tenure as first lady. |
| Valeria Toribiong |  | 15 January 2009 | 17 January 2013 | Johnson Toribiong | |
| Debbie Remengesau | | 17 January 2013 | 21 January 2021 | Tommy Remengesau Jr. | Second tenure as first lady, beginning in January 2013 and sister-in-law of Valerie Whipps. |
| Valerie Whipps |  | 21 January 2021 | Present | Surangel Whipps Jr. | The Sister of Former President.Tommy Remengesau Jr. |
The Federated States of Micronesia, or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania. The federation consists of four states—from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae—that are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise around 607 islands that cover a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km (1,700 mi) just north of the equator. They lie northeast of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, south of Guam and the Marianas, west of Nauru and the Marshall Islands, east of Palau and the Philippines, about 2,900 km (1,800 mi) north of eastern Australia, 3,400 km (2,100 mi) southeast of Japan, and some 4,000 km (2,485 mi) southwest of the main islands of the Hawaiian Islands.
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Polynesia to the east, and Melanesia to the south—as well as with the wider community of Austronesian peoples.
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific. The republic consists of approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caroline Islands with parts of the Federated States of Micronesia. It has a total area of 466 square kilometers (180 sq mi), making it one of the smallest countries in the world. The most populous island is Koror, home to the country's most populous city of the same name. The capital Ngerulmud is located on the largest island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Palau shares maritime boundaries with international waters to the north, the Federated States of Micronesia to the east, Indonesia to the south, and the Philippines to the northwest.
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the US during the Pacific War, as Japan had occupied the territory since the League of Nations gave Japan mandate over the area after World War I. However, in the 1930s, Japan left the League of Nations, and then invaded additional lands. During World War II, military control of the islands was disputed, but by the end of the war the islands had come under control of the Allies. The Trust Territory of the Pacific was created to administer the islands as part of the United States, while still under the auspices of the United Nations. Most of the island groups in the territory became independent states, with some degree of ties kept with the United States: the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau are today independent states in a Compact of Free Association with the US, while the Northern Mariana Islands remain under US jurisdiction, as an unincorporated territory and commonwealth.
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum (SPF), and changed its name in 1999 to "Pacific Islands Forum", so as to be more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries, including Australia. It is a United Nations General Assembly observer.
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.
Thomas Ongelibel Remengesau, also known as Thomas Remengesau Sr., was a politician in Palau. He was Vice President of Palau from 1985 to 1988, and acting President of Palau in 1985 and President of Palau from 1988 to 1989 following the violent deaths of two previous presidents.
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.
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.
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.
Palau–Philippines relations refers to the bilateral relations between Palau and the Philippines. The Philippines and Palau have shared centuries of history under the same Spanish colony, and after Philippine independence, Palaos (Palau) sent a delegation to the Malolos Congress.
General elections were held in Palau on 1 November 2016 to elect a President and the National Congress. Incumbent President Tommy Remengesau was challenged by his brother-in-law, Surangel Whipps Jr. for the presidency, emerging as the top two in the primary elections on 27 September. Remengesau was subsequently re-elected with 51% of the vote.
The following lists events that happened during 2020 in Oceania.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Palau is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Palau on 31 May 2021. As of August 2021, Palau has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world with approximately 84% of its population fully vaccinated.
General elections were held in Palau on 3 November 2020 to elect a President and the National Congress.
The following lists events that happened during 2020 in the Republic of Palau.
List of events that happened during 2021 in Oceania.
Palau–Taiwan relations are the bilateral relations between Palau and Taiwan. Palau maintains an embassy in Taipei and the ROC maintains an embassy in Koror City. Exchanges between the two nations range from agriculture, culture, education, fishery, medical services, tourism and water supply infrastructure. As of 29 December 2023, Palau is one of only 12 United Nations member states to have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The following lists events that happened during 2021 in the Republic of Palau.
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