House of Delegates of Palau

House of Delegates
Type
Type	Lower house of the Palau National Congress
Leadership
Speaker of the House of Delegates[1]	Gibson Kanai since 16 January 2025
Vice Speaker[1]	Mario Gulibert since 16 January 2025
Floor Leader[1]	Warren Umetaro since 16 January 2025
Structure
Seats	16
Political groups	Independent (16)
Length of term	4 years
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post voting
Last election	3 November 2020
Next election	2024
Meeting place
Olbiil era Kelulau building in the Capitol of Palau complex, Ngerulmud
Website
[1]

The House of Delegates of Palau is the lower house of the Palau National Congress (Olbiil era Kelulau), Palau's bicameral legislature. The Senate of Palau is the upper house. The House of Delegates has 16 members, each serving four-year terms in single-seat constituencies. Each state represents one constituency. No political parties exist. The last election was held on 5 November 2024.

Palau Legislature 1955-1980

The High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands established Palau legislature, Olbiil era Kelulau, in January 1955 by a charter.[2][3] The legislature was composed of 28 members elected every four years.[3] The presiding officer was initially called Bedul Olbiil.[4] The members of the legislature were organized into Liberal and Progressive parties.[5]

Speaker of Legislature	Took office	Left office	Notes
Roman Tmetuchl	1956	1957 - ?	[6][7]
Takeo Yano	? - 1959	1959 - ?	[7]
Jonathan Emul	? - 1960	1960 - ?	[7]
Thomas Remengesau Sr.	? - 1961	1961 - ?	[7]
David Ramarui	? - 1962	1962 - ?	[7]
Toribiong Uchel	? - 1963	1965	Died in office[3]
Jacob Sawaichi	1965	1966	[3]
Itelbang Luii	1966	October 1975	[3][8]
Sadang Silmai	October 1975	December 1979	[9][10]
Tosiwo Nakamura	December 1979	November 1980	[11][12]

Speaker of the House of Delegates

Name[13]	Took office	Left office	Notes
Carlos Salii	January 1981	July 1985	[14][15]
Santos Olikong	July 1985	November 1988	[14]
Shiro Kyota	January 1989	November 1992	[16]
Surangel S. Whipps	28 January 1993	November 1996	[16]
Ignacio Anastacio	January 1997	November 2000
Mario S. Gulibert	January 2001	April 2004	[17]
Antonio Bells	April 2004	November 2004
Augustine Mesebeluu	January 2005	April 2007
Antonio Bells	April 2007	November 2008
Noah Idechong	15 January 2009	November 2012	[18]
Sabino Anastacio	January 2013	16 January 2025
Gibson Kanai[1]	16 January 2025[19]	Incumbent

References

1. Times, Island (17 January 2025). "Historic Gains for Women as Palau's 12th National Government Takes Office". Island Times.
2. Nagel, Stuart (2000-01-03). Handbook of Global Legal Policy. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8247-7892-7.
3. "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands". Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs. January 1, 1964 – via Google Books.
4. "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands". Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs. August 2, 1955 – via Google Books.
5. Donald R. Shuster. "ELECTIONS, COMPACT, AND ASSASSINATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF PALAU".
6. "001 19570900: 3". www.pacificdigitallibrary.org.
7. Lal, Brij V., ed. (2005). The Defining Years Pacific Islands, 1945-65 (PDF). Pacific and Asian History Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. ISBN 0-909524-27-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-09-20. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
8. "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands". Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs. 1971 – via Google Books.
9. Shuster, Donald R.; Larmour, Peter; Strokirch, Karin von (1998). Leadership in the Pacific Islands: Tradition and the Future. National Centre for Development Studies, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-7315-2372-6.
10. "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands". Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs. January 1, 1976 – via Google Books.
11. "PALAU MOURNS FORMER SPEAKER | Pacific Islands Report". www.pireport.org. Archived from the original on 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
12. "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands". Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs. January 1, 1976 – via Google Books.
13. "Pacific Digital Library". www.pacificdigitallibrary.org.
14. Leibowitz, Arnold H. (1996). Embattled Island: Palau's Struggle for Independence. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0-275-95390-4.
15. "Pacific Islands Monthly: PIM". 1981.
16. Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs (1991). "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands - year 1992".
17. "The Republic of Palau - House of Delegates". December 17, 2005. Archived from the original on December 17, 2005.
18. "IPU PARLINE database: PALAU (House of Delegates) ELECTIONS IN 2008". archive.ipu.org.
19. "Palau | House of Delegates". IPU Parline: global data on national parliaments.