1970 Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands on 3 November 1970.

Electoral system[]

The bicameral Congress consisted of a 12-member Senate with two members from each of the six districts and a 21-member House of Representatives with seats apportioned to each district based on their population – five from Truk, four from the Marshall Islands and Ponape, three from the Mariana Islands and Palau and two from Yap.^[1]

Elections were held every two years in November of even-numbered years, with all members of the House of Representatives and half the Senate (one member from each district) renewed at each election.

Results[]

Senate[]

House of Representatives[]

Aftermath[]

Following the elections, the Progressive Party submitted a petition to annul the election results in Palau, where the Liberal Party had won all four contested seats (Roman Tmetuchl in the Senate and , and Tarkong Pedro in the House of Representatives).^[2] The Progressives claimed that non-registered people had been able to vote, and ballots had been tampered with. A Senate committee subsequently recommended that the election of Tmetuchl be annulled.^[3] However, the Senate voted to allow Tmetuchl to take his seat, although the election of the three Palau House of Representatives members was annulled.^[4]

When the newly elected Congress met, of Ponape was re-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives and Amata Kabua of the Marshall Islands was re-elected President of the Senate.^[3]

The by-election for the three House of Representatives seats in Palau was held on 30 March, with , Olkeriil and Pedro elected.^[5]

References[]