PALIKIR, 13 MAY 2019 (FSMIS) – The 21st Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has elected H.E David W. Panuelo as its ninth President, during its First Regular Session on 11 May. Prior to his election, President Panuelo was elected Senator At-Large for Pohnpei State. Also elected was the new Vice President, the […] </s> Federated States of Micronesia President Peter Christian, whose administration was rocked by a bribery scandal involving his family, is likley to lose the presidential seat to David W. Panuelo, chairman of the FSM Congress standing committee.

The FSM National Elections on Monday certified the results of the March 5 elections, which showed Christian’s receiving 6,716 votes against Panuelo’s 6,775 votes.

Christian’s election defeat came on the heels of the FBI’s investigation into the bribery case involving Hawaiian businessman Frank James Lyon, in which the FSM president’s son-in-law Master Halbert was implicated and charged with money-laundering.

The Hawaiian Free Press last week reported that Christian’s son Christopher Ivan Christian was also offered a “retainer fee” of $5,000.

The case involved the U.S.-funded FSM engineering contracts worth $7.8 million, which were awarded under-the-table to Lyon.

David Panuelo

(Correction: In an earlier version of this story we mistakenly identified David Panuelo as the Speaker of FSM Congress. Our apologies)

Christian was the 8th president of FSM. He was elected in 2015 succeeding Manny Mori. Under the FSM Constitution, the president and vice president, who each serves a four-year term, are first elected to the FSM Congress to the at-large seats, or four-year term.

He will remain president until Congress official selects the president and vice president in May.

There are four at large seats, one seat given to each of the four FSM states – Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae. The presidency/vice presidency is only elected among the four occupants of the at-large seats by a majority vote of all members of Congress. The remaining 10 senators of Congress serve two-year terms, and the seats are apportioned by population. The two-year term Congressmen cannot be elected to the Presidency.

The 2019 election results data to follow is certified from the FSM National Election Office, presented to the FSM Office of the President on March 8.

Kosrae State has two senators in the Congress. For the four-year at-large seat, vice president and the Yosiwo P. George received 1,824 votes while challenger Aren B. Palik received 1,814 votes.

For the two-year seat, the incumbent Paliknoa K. Welly received 2,130 votes while challenger Johnson A. Asher received 1,491 votes.

For Pohnpei Election District One, representing Kolonia, Sokehs, Sapwuahfik, Nukuoro, and Kapingamarangi, the incumbent and Honorable Ferny Perman received 2,396 votes while challenger Dr. Merlynn Abello-Alfonso received 2,136 votes.

For Pohnpei Election District Two, representing Madolenihmw and Kitti—which had four candidates—the incumbent and Dion G. Neth received 2,054 votes, while challengers Berney Martin, Herman Semes Jr., and Quincy Lawrence received 1,082 votes, 984 votes, and 942 votes respectively.

For Pohnpei Election District Three, representing Nett, U, Mwoakilloa, and Pingelap, the incumbent Esmond B. Moses received 2,543 votes while challenger Marstella Jack received 1,155 votes.

Chuuk has six senators in the Congress. For the four-year at-large seat, the incumbent Wesley W. Simina received 15,941 votes while challenger Eriano E. Eram received 3,356 votes.

For Chuuk Election District One, representing the Mortlock Islands, the incumbent Florencio S. Harper ran unopposed; he received 2,727 votes.

For Chuuk Election District Two, representing Weno, the incumbent Victor Gouland ran unopposed; he received 1,787 votes.

For Chuuk Election District Three, representing Tonoas, Uman, Fefan, Parem, and Tsis, the incumbent and Honorable Derensio S. Konman received 4,599 votes while challenger Eflove F. Mailos received 2,256 votes.

For Chuuk Election District Four, representing Tol, Fanapanges, Eot, Patta, Polle Romalum, Udot, and Wonei, the incumbent Tiwiter Aritos received 4,938 votes while challengers Smith K. Paulus and Manuel Rawit received 245 and 555 votes respectively.

For Chuuk Election District Five, representing the Halls & Western Islands, and Namonuito—which had five candidates running—the incumbent Robson U. Romolow received 1,083 votes, while challengers Arisao Aichem, Joseph Konnor Jr., Dr. Vidalino J. Raatior, and Zander Refilong received 353, 182, 684, and 461 votes respectively.

Yap State has two senators in the FSM Congress. For the At-Large seat, the incumbent Joseph. J Urusemal ran unopposed; he received 2,371 votes. For the two-year seat, the incumbent and Honorable Isaac V. Figir received 2,225 votes while challenger Fidelis Thiyer-Fanoway received 244 votes.

Pohnpei voters cast their votes in Kitti March. Photo by Richard Clark/FSMIS

In addition to the voting of the nation’s elected representatives, all voters were asked to voice their opinion on whether or not the FSM should hold a Constitutional Convention. Per FSM law, every 10 years this referendum reappears and 75 percent of the population in 75 percent of the FSM states must consent for such a convention to occur.

In Kosrae State, 1,476 voters said yes to a Constitutional Convention and 480 voters said no; in Pohnpei State 5,948 voters said yes to a Constitutional Convention and 2,790 voters said no; in Chuuk State 1,283 voters said yes to a Constitutional Convention and 1,656 voters said no; and in Yap State, 1,064 voters said yes to a Constitutional Convention and 1,262 voters said no. </s> WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's FEMA announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the government of the Federated States of Micronesia under the Compact of Free Association between the government of the United States of America and the government of the Federated States of Micronesia, as amended, due to Typhoon Wutip, from Feb. 19 to Feb. 23, 2019.

The President's action makes federal funding available for U.S. Government emergency relief and reconstruction assistance to the Federated States of Micronesia in accordance with Public Law 108-188, as amended, including Article X of the Federal Programs and Services Agreement to the Compact of Free Association. Federated States of Micronesia President Peter M. Christian requested a disaster declaration on April 17, 2019.

The United States Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance will coordinate U.S. Government disaster assistance efforts in conjunction with FEMA and the government of the Federated States of Micronesia.

FEMA's mission is to help people before, during and after disasters.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.twitter.com/FEMAespanol, https://www.facebook.com/FEMA, www.facebook.com/FEMAespanol and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Acting Administrator Pete Gaynor's activities @FEMA_Pete.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications. </s> CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Former soldier David Hurley was sworn in as Australia's governor-general on Monday, a day before Parliament resumes for the first time since the May election.

Hurley represents the Queen Elizabeth II, who is Australia's constitution head of state.

Hurley was most recently the British monarch's representative in New South Wales when he spent five years as state governor based in Sydney.

He will officiate on Tuesday when Parliament resumes for the first time since Prime Minister Scott Morrison's conservative government was elected to a third three-year term on May 18.

Hurley replaced Peter Cosgrove who held the position since 2014. Both are former chiefs of the Australian Defense Force.

Former soldier David Hurley, second from bottom, is sworn in as Australia's governor-general at a ceremony in Parliament House in Canberra Monday, July 1, 2019. Hurley will officiate on Tuesday when Parliament resumes for the first time since Prime Minister Scott Morrison's conservative government was elected to a third three-year term. (AP Photo/Rod McGuirk)

Former soldier David Hurley, center, is sworn in as Australia's governor-general at a ceremony in Parliament House in Canberra Monday, July 1, 2019. Hurley will officiate on Tuesday when Parliament resumes for the first time since Prime Minister Scott Morrison's conservative government was elected to a third three-year term. (AP Photo/Rod McGuirk) </s> Pacific Island leaders are pushing back against letting the French into their annual forum but Prime Minister John Key says he supports the bid.

Both New Caledonia and French Polynesia, whose foreign policy and security is controlled by France, have been vying for a seat at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

The issue is expected to generate fiery debate at the leader's retreat in Pohnpei on Saturday with several nations, including Nauru, believed to be angry at the idea of the two countries joining.

"When the French Prime Minister was in New Zealand recently I made the point that I thought there was actually a case for both of them to have admission to PIF," Key said.

"You could make a case they don't perfectly fit the criteria but in the end this is ultimately a collection of countries who get together every 12 months to discuss Pacific issues."

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said several nations were against the bid because of strong concerns regarding how their foreign policy was handled from France.

Key dismissed suggestions he supported the bid because it would prompt France to contribute aid to the region - New Zealand and Australia provide the bulk of the money at the moment.

"France has had, because of its territorial rights, a long term interest in the Pacific and it will continue to be a significant supporter of those economies," he said.

"I don't think we'll be expecting France to change from that perspective, it's more about what they can do to the overall debate of discussion that takes place."

"The debate in my opinion at the forum would be stronger for their admittance," he said.

Federated States of Micronesia President Peter Christian, who is hosting the forum in Pohnpei, also supports the French bid.

He says the forum deals with "issues with no borders yet in this particular case there are those who would like to build a wall".

One leader with a seat at the retreat who chooses not to be there is Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

On Friday Bainimarama removed his foreign minister, Ratu Inoke, from the job and gave the portfolio to himself in a major Cabinet reshuffle.

Inoke is already at PIF representing Fiji in place of his leader, who hasn't attended since he was banned in 2009 following a military coup.

Key said he was personally disappointed about Inoke's demotion as he'd found his a "really effective person to deal with".

"We've had a series of issues over the last decade with Fiji where it's been important to have open dialogue."

Another issue expected to be raised at the leader's retreat is the ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua.

The issue was widely debated at PIF in Papua New Guinea last year and ended with the host Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, being asked to discuss with Indonesian officials the possibility of a fact-finding mission.

That mission has never gone ahead and given the close ties between some Pacific nations, in particular Fiji, and Indonesia, it's unlikely to get across the line.

McCully said last year's approach wasn't overly "productive" and it's likely any conversations with Indonesian officials would be handed over to foreign ministers to pursue. </s> Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has been re-elected as leader of the South Pacific island nation.

The nation's parliament elected O'Neill to a second five-year term on Wednesday by a vote of 60 to 46, after his People's National Congress party won enough seats to form a coalition government with other minor parties.

Papua New Guinea is considered one of the world's most corrupt nations, and polling there is a complicated process monitored by police and soldiers. Voting began in June, and counting took weeks. Along the way, violent protests broke out over allegations of vote-counting fraud and two police officers were killed.

The election's legality has already being challenged in court, and counting was still underway in several electorates even as O'Neill was being sworn in. </s> A Venezuelan Supreme Court judge who once supported President Nicolás Maduro has fled to the United States and publicly denounced Maduro's re-election days before the inauguration.

Justice Christian Zerpa left Venezuela with his wife and two daughters, according to Miami broadcaster EVTV. Their destination in the U.S. was unclear.

Zerpa met a reporter in Orlando and told the outlet, "I think the president, Nicolás Maduro, does not deserve a second chance because the election he supposedly won was not a free election, was not a competitive election."

Maduro won the May 2018 race amid widespread accusations of fraud. He will begin his second term on Thursday.

Zerpa said he did not speak out against the election results months ago out of concerns for his family's safety.

Maduro's Socialist Party "gradually but steadily" co-opted the Supreme Court and "turned it into an appendage of the executive branch," according to the International Commission of Jurists.

In 2016, following a landslide electoral victory by the opposition, Zerpa helped Maduro consolidate power through a court decision that diminished the powers of Congress, according to Reuters.

"They chose me [for the court] because I was one of the loyal, disciplined members in the United Socialist Party of Venezuela," Zerpa told EVTV.

Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice responded to Zerpa's decision to leave by noting he was being investigated for sexual harassment, lewd acts and psychological violence.

Zerpa "fled the country, exercising his constitutional right, to avoid justice and so his crimes remain unpunished," said Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno. He said the investigation began last November.

According to a Reuters investigation, Moreno himself was arrested in connection with the homicide of a teenager in 1989 and was defrocked as an appeals court in 2007 for improperly releasing two murder suspects. "Under Moreno as chief justice, the court proceeded to dismiss every legal challenge to Maduro's authority that has reached the bench," the report stated.

Zerpa is not the first Venezuelan justice to flee to the United States. Former Supreme Court Judge Eladio Aponte Aponte fled in 2012 after accusing the government of corruption. Maduro, then the foreign minister, called him a fugitive who "sold his soul."

Under Maduro, who succeeded President Hugo Chávez in 2013, the once thriving country has seen hyperinflation, shortages of food and medicine, and waves of fleeing citizens rushing the border out of desperation. Caracas has faced angry protests, U.S. sanctions and a slump in oil exports.

The government has also cracked down on dissent through the "arbitrary arrests and detentions" of thousands of people, according to human rights groups. Many detainees say they were tortured and sexually abused.

The new president of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, Juan Guaido, was sworn in last week. U.S. State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino called the body "the only legitimate and last remaining democratically elected institution that truly represents the will of the Venezuelan people." </s> Nechirvan Barzani sworn in as president of Iraqi Kurdistan

Nechirvan Barzani has been sworn in as Iraqi Kurdistan’s second president, succeeding his uncle and veteran leader Massud Barzani whose son Masrour will likely be nominated premier on Tuesday.

Nechirvan, the 52-year-old deputy leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, was elected as president on May 28 after seven years as the region’s prime minister.

He is the Kurdish region’s second president after his uncle Massud, who served in the role from 2005 until he quit in 2017 following a controversial independence referendum.

The younger Barzani takes his oath of office during a sleek ceremony at Erbil’s Congressional Palace.

Born in northern Iraq in 1966, Barzani spent part of his life in Iran and speaks fluent Kurdish, Farsi and English.

He has had a long political career in the Kurdish region, serving as its vice prime minister, head of government and prime minister since it won autonomy from federal authorities in 1991. </s> Cyril Ramaphosa, born 17 November 1952, is the fifth and current post-apartheid President of South Africa. He has been the Deputy President of South Africa since 2014 and was elected as President of the African National Congress (ANC) South of Johannesburg in December 2017.

He is also the Chairman of the National Planning Commission, which is responsible for strategic planning for the future of South Africa, with the goal of rallying the nation “around a common set of objectives and priorities to drive development over the longer term”.

Ramaphosa has been sworn in as the president of Africa’s most industrialised nation (South Africa) in the national parliament in Cape Town, the country’s Capital on Thursday February 15 2018, a day after Jacob Zuma resigned from office following allegations of corruption

Ramaphosa automatically became the acting president of the country on 14 February 2018, after the embattled former president, Jacob Zuma was pressured to resign on Wednesday and will be sworn in by Mogoeng later in the day and is due to deliver his first state-of the nation address on Friday. He staked his claim to the top post when he replaced Zuma as leader of the African National Congress almost two months ago.

A former lawyer and one of the richest black South Africans, Ramaphosa has promised to revive the struggling economy, create jobs and tackle corruption. His appointment more than a year before national elections could help the ANC win back voters alienated by a succession of scandals, policy missteps and inappropriate appointments during Zuma’s nine-year tenure.

While Ramaphosa succeeded in outmanoeuvring Zuma since his tight election as ANC president, the road ahead is perilous — the party remains deeply divided, the cabinet needs a clean-out and a moribund economy requires a jump-start.

Growth has averaged just 1.6 percent a year since Zuma took office in 2009, undermined partly by policy decisions and inappropriate appointments that rocked investor and business confidence. Disgruntlement with his rule caused support for the ANC to fall to a record low in 2016 municipal elections and cost it control of Johannesburg, the economic hub, and Pretoria, the capital.
David W. Panuelo is sworn in as President of the Federated States of Micronesia, succeeding Peter M. Christian, after being elected by the Congress.