Palau Presidential candidate Tommy Esang Remengesau, Jr has officially declared his candidacy at the Palau Election Commission.
With support from families and friends, the grassroots candidate filed his candidacy after over 5,000 petition signatures urged him to run.
In response to personal claims that his candidacy is unconstitutional, he reiterated, “We have always adhered to the rules and the constitution, and we meticulously conduct our research and seek legal advice before taking any action. Our declaration today is a direct response to the call of the Palauan people, and I am committed as ever to serving their interests with integrity and dedication in line with the constitutional intent.”
Former president Remengesau declared his intention to run again for the Office of the President in February of this year, saying he was motivated to run by a petition signed by citizens urging him to run for office again.
Palau Election Commission will review all nominations and certify their eligibility to run for office within the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Raynold “Arnold” Oilouch, a candidate for the Vice President’s office, filed his nomination petition at the Office of Palau Election Commission on 05 August, witnessed by family and supporters.
Many candidates, including Oilouch, chose August 5 to file their candidacies, following Palau’s traditional belief that the “new moon” is an auspicious day to start new endeavours.
In a statement, Oilouch said that with the blessing of his family, he has decided to run for the office of the Vice President to support whoever gets elected President and to strengthen government services for the benefit of the people.
Oilouch served as Vice President from 2018 to 2021 and ran as a presidential candidate in 2020 against President Surangel Whipps Jr.
He is currently running against incumbent Vice President Uduch Sengebau-Senior, a former Senate colleague, and a fellow attorney.
In another development, the question of whether Palau will hold a primary election remains unanswered as the deadline for filing nominating petitions for the offices of President, Vice-President, and the Olbiil Era Kelulau close on Wednesday.
If there are three candidates for President, the commission will hold a primary election on 24 September. The general election is scheduled for 05 November.
The national budget allocated US$514,872 to the Palau Election Commission for operations and election conduct, up from approximately US$277,000 in 2022 and about US$331,000 in 2023.
This budget increase reflects the higher cost of conducting a national election with both proper and central ballot boxes for all 16 states simultaneously.
