12th National Government Leadership Takes Shape
With less than a month before the inauguration of Palau’s 12th national government, newly elected senators and delegates are finalizing their leadership roles, a process that usually takes weeks of intense negotiations and politicking.
Incumbent senator president and senator-elect Hokkons Baules confirmed that the fifteen (15) senator-elects have met and selected the leadership for the next Senate.
The 15 senator-elects voted to retain Baules as Senate president and elected senator-elect Dr. Stevenson Kuartei as vice president. Kuartei, the top vote-getter in the Senate race, swaps roles with senator-elect Kerai Mariur, the current vice president. Under the new arrangement, Mariur will serve as floor leader.
One notable shift in the Senate is the chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Senator Rukebai Inabo, who currently chairs the committee, will now lead the Commerce, Trade, and Development Committee. Senator Mark Rudimch has been selected to chair Ways and Means.
Among the new senator-elects, Siegfried Nakamura will lead the Judiciary and Governmental Affairs (JGA) Committee, Brian Melairei will chair the Capital Improvement Projects Committee, and Ann Pedro will head the Committee on Cultural, Gender, and Social Welfare.
Other leadership assignments include senator-elect Tabelual as chair of the Education Committee, Dr. Stevenson Kuartei as chair of the Health Committee, and TJ Remengesau heading the Committee on Cyberspace, Telecommunications, and Telecoms.
Baules noted that while all the committees have been assigned to each of the 15 senator-elects, some are being modified or expanded to include additional areas, with the final list expected next week.
In the House of Delegates, leadership has also been selected. According to reports, delegate-elect Gibson Kanai will serve as Speaker, delegate-elect Mario Gulibert as Vice Speaker, and delegate-elect Warren Umetaro as Floor Leader.
However, according to one of the delegate-elects, the selection process in the House involved only nine of the 16 delegate-elects. This group, representing a simple majority, has created a divide in the incoming House of Delegates. The remaining seven delegate-elects were reportedly excluded from the caucus.
A key question remains: can the House of Delegates convene without representation from Ngardmau State? The election of the Ngardmau delegate is stuck in legal limbo.
As the 12th national government prepares to take office, the evolving dynamics and leadership changes are expected to shape Palau’s legislative agenda in the coming term.