| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Olbiil Era Kelulau / National Congress |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name |
Senate |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
House of Delegates
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
4 November 2008 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the Senate on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The November 2008 parliamentary elections were held jointly with the presidential elections
as well as a referendum on proposed constitutional amendments. Palau became independent in 1994
upon the entry into force of a Compact of Free Association with the US. The US
which had administered Palau until 1978 under a UN trusteeship (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
continues to provide financial assistance and remains in charge of the country's defence.
In the previous elections held in November 2004
Palauans also approved several constitutional amendments
including a three-term limit for parliamentarians and the election of a presidential ticket composed of a President and Vice-President. Based on the recommendation of the Reapportionment Committee of July 2005
the statutory number of members of the Senate increased from nine to 13 starting from the 2008 elections.
Prior to the 2008 elections
the Supreme Court rejected a challenge by four members of the House of Delegates
including House Speaker Antonio Bells
to the three-term limit for parliamentarians. The Supreme Court ruled that the 2004 amendments applied to the terms served before 2004
with the exception that no legislators elected in 2004 would be unseated until that term ended. Three long-serving senators who were barred from standing for re-election in 2008 ran for President and Vice-President.
In the end
43 candidates
including a record seven women
ran for the Senate. Another 44 candidates
including three women
stood for the elections to the 16-member House of Delegates. There were no women in either chamber of the outgoing parliament. As there are no political parties in Palau
all candidates stood as independents.
The media focused on the senatorial elections in which candidates are elected from a nationwide constituency. President Tommy Esang Remengesau Jr.
who was constitutionally barred from running for a third presidential term
stood for election to the Senate. In early October
Mr. Surangel Whipps Jr.
son of the Senate President
announced his intention to run for the Senate. Due to this last-minute decision
his name did not appear on the election ballot. He launched a website calling for voters to write down his name in full on the ballot paper.
According to the official results
Mr. Whipps Jr. received the most votes in the Senate race. Outgoing President Remengesau was elected in 11th position. Ms. Kathy Kesolei and Ms. Regina Mesebeluu became the first women Senators in Palau. No women were elected to the House of Delegates.
Mr. Johnson Toribiong won the closest presidential elections in Palau's history with 5
040 votes
only 212 more than Mr. Elias Camsek Chin. Both candidates had pledged to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Mr. Toribiong was sworn in as President on 15 January 2009.
In the referendum on 22 constitutional amendments jointly held with the 2008 elections
Palauans approved a proposal to elect the President and Vice President separately.
On 15 January 2009
the newly elected National Congress held its first session. The House of Delegates elected Mr. Noah Idechong as its new Speaker
while the Senate elected Mr. Mlib Tmetuchl as its new President. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 4 November 2008 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
14'289
10'469 (73.27%)
121'994 |
|
Notes
|
Each voter may cast as many votes as the number of senators elected (currently 13). Thus the total number of valid votes exceeds the number of registered voters. In the 2008 elections
the total number of the votes cast was 131
372 and 9
378 were blank or invalid ballot papers. |
| Distribution of votes |
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
11
2
15.38%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
|
2
3
4
4
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Entrepreneur |
3 |
| Finance
management or business |
3 |
| Architect
surveyor
engineer |
2 |
| Other |
1 |
| Journalism
broadcasting
media |
1 |
| Legal profession |
1 |
| Research/sciences |
1 |
| Education profession |
1 |
|
| Comments |
| Election Commission (18.11.2008) |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
