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Senator Rukbai Inabo urged the Palau Election Commission to reject the nomination application of former President Tommy E. Remengesau for the presidency. Inabo expressed her concerns to the Chairperson of the Election Commission, Ush Luii, in a letter dated July 30, 2024, on Senate Ways and Means Committee letterhead.
Senate Ways and Means Committee Vice Chair Senator Kayle Mariuur clarified to The Island Times that the letter represents Inabo’s personal views and not the committee’s position. “The Palau Supreme Court is the proper body to interpret the constitution. The Senate does not decide what the law means, especially in the case of a split opinion,” Mariuur said.
“When Senator Inabo raised this issue during the July 9 meeting, I told her to take the issue to the courts for adjudication. Every citizen has the right to challenge a decision, but the courts are the right body to interpret the law, not Congress. We represent the people through legislation; that is our duty as members of Congress,” Senate President Hawkens Bowles said in a telephone interview with Island Times.
Inabo released a brief statement on Facebook regarding her letter to the electoral commission, stressing that she is “accountable to the people of Palau who voted for me.”
In her letter to the Electoral Commission, Inabo said her intention was not to disparage former President Remengesau but that she hoped the commission would “defend our country’s constitution and preserve democracy.”
When contacted yesterday, former President Remengesau said: “We abide by the law and the decision of the Palau Election Commission. We know that the Palau Election Commission will do due diligence based on the law and the information they have. In 2012, when they reviewed the same documents, we followed their decision.”
Former President Remengesau also talked about whether he was eligible to run for election in an interview with local media on July 12, saying that they had conducted extensive investigations on the matter and consulted lawyers.
Remengesau said the Constitutional Commission’s report reflects the framers’ intent to limit the president to two terms, but “it does not prevent you from running again if the people choose to bring you back.”
The Palau Electoral Commission approved his nomination in 2012 after Remengesau served two terms in office.
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