Merlynn Abello-Alfonso Explained

Office:	Senator of Congress
Constituency:	Pohnpei Election District 1
Term Start:	May 11, 2023
Birth Date:	August 3, 1965

Merlynn Abello-Alfonso (born August 3, 1965) is a Micronesian politician. As of May 2023, she is one of two women who sits in the Congress of Micronesia.

Biography

Abello-Alfonso was born on August 3, 1965.^[1] Hailing from Kolonia, Pohnpei State, she graduated from West Visayas State University as a medical student. She is married to Herminio Alfonso and they have three children.^[2]

In the 2019 election, Abello-Alfonso ran for Ponhpei Election District 1 against incumbent Ferny Perman but she lost, with Perman and Abello-Alfonso receiving 2,396 and 2,136 votes respectively.^{[3] [4]} She contested the same district in the 2023 election. Receiving 2,128 votes, she defeated Perman who had received 1,682 votes.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 23rd FSM Congress Members. www.cfsm.gov.fm. https://web.archive.org/web/20231208095039/https://www.cfsm.gov.fm/pohnpei/23nd-cfsm/. December 8, 2023. live.
2. Web site: Dr. Merlynn Abello-Alfonso. Pacific Women in Politics (PACWIP). https://web.archive.org/web/20200812182237/https://www.pacwip.org/country-profiles/fsm/dr-merlynn-abello-alfonso/. August 12, 2020. live.
3. Web site: 32 Petitions Filed for National Elections 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190228140935/http://cfsm.fm/index.php/public-info/this-week-in-congress/397-32-petitions-filed-for-national-elections-2019 . 2019-02-28. Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia.
4. Web site: FSM Election 2019 Certified Results. Hawaii Free Press. March 8, 2019.
5. Web site: National Election Changes 2 in Pohnpei and Maintains All State Representatives . Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia. https://web.archive.org/web/20230420233834/https://www.cfsm.gov.fm/index.php/public-info/this-week-in-congress/550-national-election-changes-2-in-pohnpei-and-maintains-all-state-representatives. April 20, 2023. live.