By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
AIRAI, Palau — Collins Takeo has declared his candidacy for governor of Airai State in the upcoming March 2026 general election.
“I am here to announce to the people of Airai my eagerness to run again for Airai state governorship,” Takeo said in a radio broadcast on Aug. 20.
Takeo previously ran a close race against current Gov. Norman Ngiratecheboet in the last state election. Although Takeo secured more votes in the primary, he lost in the general election after absentee ballots shifted the outcome. The final margin was just 13 votes after ballots cast in Palau were tallied, but the gap widened when a significant number of the 156 absentee ballots returned from off-island voters favored Ngiratecheboet.
Airai, Palau’s second most populous state, also has the second-largest number of registered voters. According to the Palau Election Commission, a special election held earlier this year for the legislature at-large seat recorded 1,664 registered voters in the state.
Airai voters will head to the polls again in March 2026 to decide the governorship.