Overview:
The Palau Election Commission has scheduled a Nov. 13 special election for Ngardmau governor following the state legislature’s second impeachment resolution against Gov. Jennifer Ngiraiwet. Speaker Terrence Miozawa is expected to challenge Ngiraiwet again, but the election could face further legal challenges over the impeachment process.
Speaker Miozawa is acting governor
By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
Ngardmau, Palau — The Palau Election Commission (PEC) has scheduled a special gubernatorial election for Ngardmau State on Nov. 13, moving forward with a second impeachment-driven contest after a court order nullified the first.
Election date set after second impeachment resolution
In a public notice and radio announcements issued last week, PEC said it will conduct a “Ngardmau State Gubernatorial Special Election” on Nov. 13. The commission tied the special election to K.N. Resolution No. 11-27-2026, the legislature’s second impeachment resolution against Gov. Jennifer Ngiraiwet, passed by seven members of Kelulul Ngardmau on the same night the Appellate Court voided the first impeachment resolution, K.N. Resolution No. 11-21-16, and cancelled the Sept. 18 special election.
The first impeachment had triggered a special election which was called off two days before polling when the Appellate Court ruled the legislature failed to afford the governor constitutionally required notice and an opportunity to be heard.
PEC: ‘By law we have to conduct a special election within 60 days’
In a recent phone interview, before the Nov. 13 date was announced, PEC Director Yamaguchi said that after receiving the second impeachment resolution, the commission’s attorney reviewed it and was tasked to prepare the rules and regulations relating to the special election, all of which will be subject to the election board’s approval. “Once approved, we will put out an announcement soon regarding the election date and nominating petition deadlines,” he said.
Yamaguchi explained that, “the first and second impeachment are separate matters. We prepared for the first impeachment resolution and set an election date but that was cancelled by the court order. Now, we have received a second resolution and it will go through the same process because by law we have to conduct a special election within 60 days.”
Yamaguchi stated that, “That is the process until there is another court order issued to cancel the election from being conducted.”
Costs manageable; most expenses tied to worker overtime and logistics
According to Yamaguchi, while elections are costly, a special election like the one scheduled for Ngardmau is still within budget and does not require much special funding.
Yamaguchi revealed that the “bulk of expense regarding a special election such as this, is mainly the additional funds to pay election workers working at non-working hours including money spent for other election preparations such as for fuel and drinks for workers.” He said, “however, when an election gets cancelled as in the case of Ngardmau, those provisions will be saved awaiting the next election.”
Small-state ballots to be printed locally; counting done manually
In terms of ballots, he shared that “special machine-readable ballots are only ordered off island during national elections when large number of ballots are being processed so that vote counting may be done by the special votes counting machines of the election office.”
He explained that “but in the case of a small state election like what will be done for Ngardmau, ballots can be printed by printing shops on island costing a few cents per page because the vote counting will be done manually by election workers.”
Nominating petitions due Oct. 29; Ngiraiwet, Miozawa expected to run again
PEC announced that the deadline for submitting gubernatorial nominating petitions is Oct. 29. In the previously cancelled special gubernatorial election following the first impeachment resolution, Gov. Ngiraiwet and Speaker Terrence Miozawa were the candidates. Many Ngardmau residents say that if the new special election goes through, both Miozawa and Ngiraiwet will run again.
The second impeachment resolution repeats allegations of bribery and personal enrichment, while questions remain over whether Ngiraiwet was given the notice and opportunity to be heard required under the court’s earlier ruling. Supporters of both the governor and the legislature have continued to debate the issue publicly, but barring further court action, the Nov. 13 special election is set to proceed.