Palauan presidential election, 2008
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Palau |
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The Palauan presidential election was held as part of the Palauan general elections on November 4, 2008. It was won by Johnson Toribiong. Incumbent President Tommy Remengesau was ineligible to run because he had served the maximum two consecutive terms allowed.
This was the first presidential election in Palau's history in which presidential candidates are running with declared vice-presidential candidates.[1] In past elections the President and Vice-Presidents were elected separately, and the winners of those elections served as a "national leadership team".[1]
Outgoing President Tommy Remengesau announced that he would run for a seat in the Senate.[1]
Candidates
The first round of the election was primary election held on September 23, 2008.[1] Four candidates ran in the election, but only the top two candidates with the most votes qualified for the November 4, 2008 general election.
The original four presidential and vice-presidential candidates are as follows:
- Elias Camsek Chin – The incumbent Vice-President was seeking a promotion to the Palauan presidency. His running mate was Senator Alan R. Seid.[1]
- Johnson Toribiong – He is the current Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan), and he was running with Delegate Kerai Mariur.[1]
- Surangel S. Whipps – He is the President of the Senate and his running mate was Billy Kuartei, the Chief of Staff for President Remengesau.[1]
- Joshua Koshiba – He is a Senator and his running mate was Governor of Peleliu Jackson Ngiraingas.[1]
Campaigning
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]
Results
Primary
Elias Chin and Johnson Toribiong were the top two vote-getters in the September 23 primary election. Chin and Toribiong, faced each other in the general election on November 4, 2008.[2]
General
The general presidential election, between Toribiong and Chin, was held on November 4, 2008. 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 November 7, 2008, after the final vote tally showed them receiving 4,942 votes.[4] Toribiong defeated Chin, who garnered 4,726 total votes, by just 216 votes.[4] It was reported that Toribiong had received a concession phone call from Vice-President Chin.[4]
| Palauan presidential election, 2008[2][4] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Running mate | First round | Second round | ||
| Votes | Percentage | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Johnson Toribiong | Kerai Mariur | 2,526 | 27.49% | 4,942 | 51.12% |
| Elias Chin | Alan Seid | 3,027 | 32.95% | 4,726 | 48.88% |
| Surangel Whipps | Billy Kuartei | 2,248 | 24.47% | ||
| Joshua Koshiba | Jackson Ngiraingas | 1,387 | 15.10% | ||
| Invalid or blank votes | |||||
| Totals | 9,188 | 100.00% | 9,668 | 100.00% | |
| Voter turnout | |||||
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Miho, David (2008-09-20). "Palauans Prepare For Tuesday Primary Election". Pacific Magazine. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- 1 2 Miho, David (2008-10-01). "Absentee Ballots Don't Change Outcome Of Palau Presidential Primary". Pacific Magazine. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ↑ Miho, David (2008-11-05). "Toribiong Has The Lead In Palau Presidential Vote". Pacific Magazine. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- 1 2 3 4 Miho, David (2008-11-07). "Johnson Toribiong Wins Palau Presidential Race". Pacific Magazine. Retrieved 2008-11-06.