Overview:
Sonsorol voters have approved all 23 proposed constitutional amendments, paving the way for a major restructuring of the state’s municipalities, Legislature and financial system.
Sonsorol voters have approved every one of the 23 proposed changes to the state constitution, including the biggest one: merging two of the state’s four municipalities and reorganizing the state Legislature.
The results were certified Oct. 30 by the Palau Election Commission after the Oct. 27 referendum. Each amendment won a majority of votes statewide and was approved in three of the four municipalities — Sonsorol, Pulo Anna and Merir — meeting the constitution’s requirement that amendments pass in at least three-fourths of them.
Fanna, one of the two municipalities affected by the merger, voted against all 23 proposals.
The merger was the closest vote of the night, passing 76-49. Beginning next term, the state will have three municipalities: the combined Dongosaro (Sonsorol) and Fanna, plus Puro (Pulo Anna) and Melieli (Merir). The Legislature will grow to 11 members — four elected at large, four from the merged municipality, two from Puro and one from Merir. The new municipality has 90 days to adopt its charter, and Nurap will serve as chairman of the Council of Chiefs and as Sonsorol’s representative to the national Council of Chiefs.
Several approved changes affect how the state handles money. Separate state and municipal treasuries will be replaced by a single state treasury, and revenues collected within a municipality — including license fees and fines — will go into that treasury for the benefit of both the state and the municipality. National block grants will now be distributed according to needs and population instead of the previous equal-share formula.
Future constitutional amendments will also be easier to pass: voters approved replacing the three-fourths municipal approval requirement with a simple statewide majority.
Other approved measures require paramount chiefs to step aside from chiefly duties when running for governor, lieutenant governor or the Legislature; require three readings of bills instead of two; extend the Legislature’s impeachment power to the lieutenant governor; and set aside at least 25% of the annual budget for capital improvements, community programs and resource development.
Turnout was 45%, with 130 of 289 registered voters casting ballots. Fanna had the highest turnout at 56%.