Henry S. Falan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7th Governor of Yap | |
| In office January 14, 2019 –December 17, 2021 | |
| Lieutenant Governor | Jesse Salalu |
| Preceded by | Tony Ganngiyan |
| Succeeded by | Jesse Salalu |
Henry S. Falan is a Micronesian politician and the former Governor of Yap from January 19,2019,to December 17,2022. [1] Falan was removed from his position as governor by the Yap state legislature. Jesse Salalu,his former Lieutenant Governor,took his place as Governor of Yap. [1]
Falan first served in Yap District Legislature in 1977. He later served as Director of Department of Education of Yap from 1996 to 2004. In 2007,Falan was elected to the Yap legislature,and he served as its speaker from 2011 to 2014. [2]
On September 16,2021,Falan signed an executive order to close the Yap State Office of the Attorney General in response to the legislature not approving Falan's supplementary budget request needed to attract and retain qualified legal professionals to the office. [3] On September 22,the attorney general's office was reopened by emergency declaration stating Ifalik island,following salt water flooding that destroyed the island's main source of food,required assistance from the government including the AG's office. [4] The following day,the state legislature introduced a resolution with seven cosponsors to oust Falan from his position. [4] [3] This was the last in several attempts to remove him from office by his opponents in the 2018 election.
Henry Falan appeared before the Yap legislature on October 15,for an impeachment hearing. Marstella Jack,an attorney from Pohnpei,represented the Governor during the hearing. [4] On October 19,the 10th Yap State Legislature failed to remove Falan from office for misfeasance and malfeasance with a vote of 7–3. [3] [5] Article V section 20 of the Yap State Constitution states,75% or more of the legislature must vote to remove the Governor for the resolution to pass. [6] Theodore Rutun,Nicholas Figirlaarwon,and Joseph B. Tiuchemal voted to keep Falan in office. [3]
During the third legislative session,the legislature reintroduced the proposal to oust the Governor. After alleged pressure from members of the Legislature,Tiuchemal voted in favor of impeachment,and the proposal passed on December 16,with a vote of 8–2. [5] Falan was removed from office the following day.
Following his removal from office,a petition was made and spread throughout the Federated States of Micronesia,Hawaii,the U.S. and Guam to Micronesians calling for the reinstatement of Falan as Governor. [1] [5] It amassed over 1,200 signatures and was delivered to the legislature on January 28,2022. [5]
The Northern Mariana Islands,officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,is an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States consisting of 14 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The CNMI includes the 14 northernmost islands in the Mariana Archipelago;the southernmost island,Guam,is a separate U.S. territory. The Northern Mariana Islands were listed by the United Nations as a non-self governing territory until 1990.
In the United States,impeachment is the process by which a legislature may bring charges against an officeholder for misconduct alleged to have been committed with a penalty of removal. Impeachment may also occur at the state level if the state or commonwealth has provisions for it under its constitution. Impeachment might also occur with tribal governments as well as at the local level of government.
Yap State,is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are Kosrae State,Pohnpei State,and Chuuk State.
Benigno Repeki Fitial is a Northern Marianan politician who served was the seventh governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. The second longest-serving governor in CNMI history,Fitial was elected on November 6,2005,assumed office on January 9,2006,and was re-elected to a (five-year) second term in 2009. He was impeached by the CNMI House of Representatives on February 11,2013,and was scheduled to face trial before the CNMI Senate to determine if he should be removed from office. He resigned on February 20,2013,after 7 years,1 month,and 11 days in office.
Sebastian L. Anefal is a Micronesian politician currently serving as the FSM Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Fiji. He was nominated by President Peter M. Christian to his current post in mid-2015 and took office on January 8,2016.
The office of the Governor of Yap is the highest elected position in the state of Yap,Federated States of Micronesia.
General elections were held in the Northern Mariana Islands on November 4,2014. Voters elected the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands,the Lieutenant Governor,the Attorney General,the Delegate to the US Congress,the Senate,the House of Representatives,mayors,municipal councils and the Board of Education. Additionally,a referendum involving changes to the constitution was held.
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the Northern Mariana Islands by the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26,2015,which struck down same-sex marriage bans nationwide. On June 29,Governor Eloy Inos issued a statement hailing the decision as "historic",and said he would work with the Attorney General and local officials to bring the U.S. territory into compliance. Attorney General Edward Manibusan issued a memorandum on June 30 confirming that the territory was bound by the court decision and said that marriage license forms would be changed to include same-sex couples.
An independence referendum for Chuuk State to secede from the Federated States of Micronesia was originally scheduled to take place in March 2015. However,it has been delayed three times and it is uncertain if it will take place. The most populous of the four states within the FSM,Chuuk has high levels of unemployment and there are long-standing tensions over the distribution of funding within the FSM. Other concerns include political power within the federation and the preservation of cultural identity.
Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres is a Northern Marianan politician,who served as the ninth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands,from December 29,2015 to January 9,2023. He is a Republican from Saipan,Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The third longest-serving governor in CNMI history,Torres took office upon the death of Governor Eloy Inos on December 29,2015 before being reelected as governor in his own right in 2018. He previously served as the tenth lieutenant governor,having been elected to that post in 2014.
Tony Ganngiyan is a Micronesian politician and was the sixth Governor of Yap from 12 January 2015 to January 14,2019. He ran for a second term in the 2018 Yap election,but he lost to Henry Falan. Ganngiyan is one of twenty-two signatories of the Yap State Constitution. Ganngiyan served previously as the speaker of Yap legislature.
The 2018 Yap gubernatorial election took place on Tuesday,November 6,2018,to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia to a four-year term in office. The election coincided with the Yap State general election,including legislative contests to select Senators of the Yap State Legislature.
The 2022 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022 to elect the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote in the general election,the two highest-placing candidates advanced to a runoff election on November 25,2022.
Yap Women's Association is a women's rights organisation in Yap State,in the Federated States of Micronesia. Founded in 1955 as a non-profit it works to provide resources for women in the state.
Jesse John Salalu is a Micronesian politician who served as the eighth Governor of Yap since 29 December 2021. Salalu was sworn into office following Henry Falan being ousted by the Yap legislature. He previously served as lieutenant Governor of Yap under Falan from January 2019 to December 2021. He is the first Governor of Yap to be born on the outer islands,which means his lieutenant governor must be someone born on the main island of Yap.
In the United States,an impeachment inquiry is an investigation or inquiry which usually occurs before a potential impeachment vote.
The traditional councils of the Yap State are two assemblies of traditional leaders:the Pilung Council for the chiefs of the Yap Islands and the Tamol Council for the chiefs of the Outer Yap Islands. They have been established in 1992 by the Constitution of the Yap State,within the Federated States of Micronesia. The executive,the legislative,the judiciary and the traditional councils are the four institutional branches of government in the Yap State,but the councils,unlike the others,transcend the concept of the separation of powers. The councils are responsible for exercising the functions that relate to tradition and custom,which are not required to be recorded in the written law. In the Yap State,custom and tradition prevail over any interpretation of the constitution and even over any judicial decision. The councils have the right to veto legislation that they consider to be contrary to traditional practices. The constitutionality of these councils and their veto power could be challenged under the Micronesian Federal Constitutional Law,but to this date no one has done it.
Charles S. Chieng is the current governor of Yap State,Micronesia. He has been governor since January 9,2023.
Similar to the Congress of the United States,state legislatures can impeach state officials,including governors and judicial officers,in every state except Oregon. In addition,the legislatures of the territories of American Samoa,Northern Mariana Islands,and Puerto Rico have impeachment powers. Impeachment describes the process through which the legislature may bring charges and hold a trial with a penalty including removal from office.
In the United States state of Vermont,the practice of impeachment has existed since its pre-statehood era as the Vermont Republic and has continued into its existence as a state since 1791. Impeachment allows a legislative body to remove an official from office after a trial.
