Palau National Congress Explained

Palau National Congress
Native Name:Olbiil era Kelulau
Native Name Lang:Palauan
Legislature:11th Olbiil Era Kelulau
Coa Res:100px
Foundation:First Government Est. 1955

Gained Independence on 1 October 1994

House Type:Bicameral
Leader1 Type:President of the Senate
Leader2 Type:Speaker of the House
Leader3 Type:Chief of Staff
Members:29 members (13 and 16)
Structure1:Palau Senate.svg
Structure1 Res:250px
Structure2:Palau House of Delegates.svg
Structure2 Res:250px
Session Room:File:Capitol-complex-melekeok-palau20071220 crop.jpg
Session Res:250px
Website:www.palauoek.com [obsolete]

Palau has a bicameral legislature, the Palau National Congress (Palauan: Olbiil era Kelulau), 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 in single-seat constituencies. The Senate has 13 members, also serving four-year terms in multi-seat constituencies. In the last elections, held in 2020, only non-partisans were elected; no political parties exist.

The congress is called Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) in Palauan or “House of Whispered Decisions".[1] When it was founded, there were 18 senators. That number of them was changed in 1984 to 14. The number of senators changed again in 2000, when it was reduced drastically to 9. In 2008, it was raised once again, to 13.[2]

In 2018, the Senate President was Hokkons Baules, and Speaker was Sabino Anastacio.[3]

List of elections

Palau Congressional Library

Housed at the Palau National Congress, the Palau Congressional Library was founded on August 18, 1981. Headed as of 1996 by Congressional Librarian Harry Besebes, it has a 3000 item collection, with annual accessions of 350. The library employs 2 staff members, both professional librarians.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: LibGuides: Laws of South Pacific Island Nations: Palau. 2020-11-04. law-hawaii.libguides.com. University of Hawaiʻi School of Law Library. en.
  2. https://www.palauoek.com Welcome to the Palau National Congress Website!
  3. July 31, 2018 Palau's National Congress leaders vocal about their support for China, Island Times