Politics of Palau
The politics of Palau take place in a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Palau is both head of state and head of government. Palau currently has no political parties and is a de facto non-partisan democracy although there is no law preventing the formation of political parties.
Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Palau National Congress. The judiciary of Palau is independent of the executive and the legislature.
History
Palau adopted a constitution on January 1, 1981.While calm in recent years, Palau witnessed several instances of political violence in the 1980s. The republic's first president, Haruo I. Remeliik, was assassinated in 1985; the Minister of State was found to be complicit in the crime. Palau's third president, Lazarus Salii, committed suicide in August 1988 amid bribery allegations. Salii's personal assistant had been imprisoned several months earlier after being convicted of firing shots into the home of the Speaker of the House of Delegates.
Palau gained independence from the United Nations trusteeship administered by the United States on 1 October 1994 and entered a Compact of Free Association with the United States.
The Senate passed legislation making Palau an "offshore" financial center in 1998. Opponents to the legislation voiced fears that the country would become a haven for money launderers and other sorts of criminal activity. In December 1999, a group of major international banks banned U.S. dollar-denominated transactions involving Palau and the other Pacific island states of Vanuatu and Nauru.
Executive branch
Presidential elections take place every four years, when the president and vice president run on separate tickets. The president, who is the head of state and head of government, is currently Thomas Remengesau Jr..Cabinet
The President is advised and assisted in governing by his/her Cabinet, composed of the Vice President and ministers responsible for the eight government ministries.| Ministry | Minister | Duties | Child Agencies | |
| Vice President | Raynold Oilouch | National Emergency Management Office | ||
| Community and Cultural Affairs | Baklai Temengil | effectively implement laws and orders in rendering services to enhance the well-being of the community and to preserve and maintain Palau's cultural and traditional heritage. | Bureaus of: Aging and Gender; Youth, Sports, and Recreation; Arts & Culture; National Archives | |
| Education | Sinton Soalablai | responsible for managing, operating and promoting public elementary and secondary schools systems and developing and implementing educational curricula and standards at every educational level | Bureaus of: Education Administration, Curriculum and Instruction | |
| Finance | Elbuchel Sadang | "ensures accountability, continuous productivity of government services, and economic growth by promoting policies for, and sound management of, expenditures, revenues, financing and human resources" | Bureaus of: Budget & Planning, National Treasury, Public Service System, Revenue and Taxation, Customs and Border Protection Information Systems Support Services | |
| Health | Emais Roberts, M.D. | "take positive actions to attain healthful environment, promote health and social welfare, protect family and health safety, and provide health care services" | Bureaus of: Public Health, Nursing, Hospital & Clinical Services, Health Administration & Support Services Offices of Human Resources & Development, Human Preparedness, Policy, & Research Medical Referral Program Hospital Trust Fund | |
| Justice | Raynold Oilouch | Office of the Attorney General Bureaus of: Immigration and Labor, Public Safety Divisions of: Criminal Investigation/Drug Enforcement, Patrol, Fire & Rescue, Corrections, Marine Law Enforcement, Fish & Wildlife Protection | ||
| Natural Resources, Environment, and Tourism | F. Umiich Sengebau | "promoting, exploring, exploiting, developing, protecting, and managing the natural resources, in areas of marine and fisheries, agriculture, aqauculture, forests, mineral and other land-based and ocean-based resources as well as tourism” | Bureaus of: Agriculture, Marine Resources, Tourism Protected Areas Network | |
| Public Infrastructure, Industries, and Commerce | Charles Obichang | Bureaus of: Aviation, Public Works, Land and Survey, Commercial Development Small Business Development Center Palau Energy Office | ||
| State | Faustina K. Rehuher-Marugg | Bureaus of: International Trade & Technical Assistance, Domestic Affairs, Foreign Affairs Offices of: Administration, Protocol, the Public Defender, Passport EPFM Live Broadcast Embassies and Consulates |
Legislature
The Palau National Congress is a bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Delegates and the Senate of Palau, which both sit at the Capitol Complex in Ngerulmud, Melekeok State.- The House of Delegates has 16 members, each serving four-year terms from single-seat constituencies.
- The Senate has 13 members, also serving four-year terms in multi-seat constituencies.
Elections
Judiciary
The judiciary of Palau interprets and applies the laws of Palau, as modified by custom and tradition, to ensure equal justice under law, and to provide a mechanism for dispute resolution. The judiciary comprises a four-member Supreme Court, a Court of Common Pleas, and a Land Court. The Supreme Court has a trial division and an appellate division and is presided over by the Chief Justice, assisted by three Associate Justices and a number of ad hoc part-time Associate Justices.Council of Chiefs
The Council of Chiefs consists of one traditional leader from each of the sixteen States of Palau. It exists to ensure that traditional ways of life are preserved in Palau. The Council has an official advisory role to the President, specifically on issues relating to the tradition laws and customs and how they relate to Palau's Constitution and laws. The sixteen members each have a unique title.The current Chairman of the Council is Yutaka Gibbons of Koror.