Pacific Magazine > Daily News

Outgoing President Running For Senate

By David Miho in Koror
Thursday: August 07, 2008

Palau President Tommy Remengesau, who cannot run for a third term, has filed to run for the nation’s Senate.

Remengesau had been rumored for some time to be considering a Senate run. Unlike most other Palauan politicians, Remengesau has no family business to fall back upon.

His father, Tom Remengesau, is a veteran government official who served as acting president of Palau.

Remengesau, a two-term president who served as vice president before winning the presidency, filed for the post this week just ahead of the filing deadline.

He served two terms in the Palau Senate from 1984 through 1992.

Palau Senators are elected on the basis of the highest vote count. Forty-four candidates have filed for 13 seats.

Separately, three current House members, who cannot run for re-election because of a term-limit law, have filed for re-election.

Speaker Antonio Bells, Mario Gulibert and Sabina Anastacio are expected to have their filings rejected. At that point, the veteran legislators are expected to file a court challenge to Palau’s term-limit law.

There will be 48 candidates for 16 seats in the Palau House.