124 the contemporary pacifi c • 21:1 (2009) prison sentence. In a third case involv- nine days earlier, when then-Speaker ing credit cards, the attorney general’s of the Nitijela (Parliament) Litokwa offi ce moved to dismiss “with preju- Tomeing left the United Democratic dice” criminal charges against former Party (udp) and announced his sup- Guam Economic Development and port for, among other initiatives, the Commerce Authority General Man- Aelon Kein Ad (aka) party platform ager Ed Untalan, explaining that they to recognize the People’s Republic of had found no criminal intent involved. China. Tomeing, who became Speaker One of Governor Camacho’s top and was prominent in the udp leader- advisers, Tony Sanchez, quit his post ship when it came to power in 2000, on Camacho’s staff. Months earlier, was quoted as saying, “Our govern- during his previous tenure as superior ment needs to change. Our current court administrator, Sanchez had been leaders have lost their steam and they indicted in a money-laundering case shouldn’t be allowed to continue” relating to payments to notorious (MIJ, 2007c). Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. There was little smooth sailing for kelly g marsh the Note administration in the run- up to the election. At the end of July Special thanks to Julian Aguon and 2007, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tyrone Taitano for contributing their Gerald Zackios resigned his cabinet perspectives and for reading through position shortly after testifying at a US an earlier draft of this review. House of Representatives subcommit- tee hearing on the Compact of Free Association, although he retained his Reference Senate seat from Arno Atoll. While rumors and speculation abounded as PDN, Pacific Daily News. Hagåtña, Guam. to the reasons behind the resignation, http://www.guampdn.com/ the president’s offi ce added to the confusion by letting more than a week pass between acknowledging receipt of the resignation and fi nally accepting Marshall Islands it. In addition, the Note government The past twelve months in the Repub- was perceived as having a “hands-off” lic of the Marshall Islands have been approach to problems with the fl eet dominated by responses to a variety of at Air Marshall Islands, the govern- crises concerning the national election, ment-owned airline and lifeline for continued recognition of the Republic many outer-island residents; rolling of China (Taiwan), the status of Kwa- blackouts in Ebeye; and an unfl at- jalein Atoll, the looming energy short- tering economic report from the US age, and the recently declared state of Department of Interior released in late national economic emergency. 2007 (Offi ce of Insular Affairs 2007). The dominant political event was Speaker Tomeing’s analysis that the the national election held on 19 Note administration was “a dismal November 2007. For all intents and failure” seemed to herald the end of purposes, however, the election came udp rule (Yokwe Online 2007a). pol i t ical reviews • micronesia 125 No one could have predicted the election experience, were also cited for debacle that began on Election Day, inconsistent application of rules and 19 November 2007, and did not procedures. In at least two instances, offi cially end until 4 January 2008, election workers required that voters three days before the new Nitijela write their names on envelopes with was scheduled to convene and choose their ballots stuffed inside, in viola- the next presidential administration. tion of voters’ anonymity rights. Alik The election itself was fraught with ended the envelope labeling in the late missteps and, in Majuro Atoll (the afternoon when he became aware of capital and population center), a bout what was happening ( Johnson 2007a). of bad weather. While election law Voting in the outer islands had mandates that polling stations are to its share of problems as well. Prior be open from 7 am to 7 pm, only one to Election Day, with both Air Mar- of the thirty polling places in Majuro shall Islands planes grounded, bal- was operational by 8 am. There were lots had to be sent by boat to various a number of reports of polling stations outer islands in time for the election. opening up no earlier than noon, and However, the ballot boxes missed their one polling station on Majuro had scheduled departure on 4 November, to be moved at 3 pm to the hospital forcing election offi cials to rely on a because the landowner of the original combination of government, private polling place had shut it down, saying shipping, and private charter boats to he had not been asked permission. At deliver and return ballots. On Election 4 pm, the attorney general ordered Day, Jaluit and Wotje atolls both ran twenty-one of the thirty polling sta- out of ballots. Chief Electoral Offi cer tions to remain open for voting until Alik allowed photocopied ballots to be 1:30 am the next day, although the used, with the stipulation that elec- last reported closing came at 5 am. tion workers keep track of how many During late voting, a number of poll- copies they made ( Johnson 2007a). In ing stations had to cease operations spite of the problems plaguing Majuro temporarily to wait for lights to be and a number of outer islands, sunny installed ( Johnson and Chutaro 2007). skies and organized election workers Chief Electoral Offi cer Carl Alik on Kwajalein Atoll ensured that vot- initially blamed the late start in ing on Ebeye and neighboring islands Majuro on the morning rain and the went smoothly. reluctance of the Stevedore Company Absentee ballots also encountered a to set up tents early for fear they series of setbacks and inconsistencies, would be stolen, although a recent most notably in the larger Marshallese change in the voter registration law communities in Arkansas, Oregon, was the more likely culprit. For the and Hawai‘i. The recent changes to fi rst time, voters from any island could the election law regarding absentee vote at any polling station; in the past, voting mandated that overseas ballots voters from particular islands were be postmarked by Sunday, 18 Novem- assigned to specifi c polling places. ber, one day before the election. The Election workers at a variety of sta- attorney general argued that this tions, few of whom had previous change in the law ensured that no one 126 the contemporary pacifi c • 21:1 (2009) voting in the United States would be the objection to the electoral admin- able to vote after the polls had closed istration’s decision did not follow in the Republic of the Marshall Islands proper administrative procedures (MIJ, or be infl uenced by news of the elec- 2007d). tion as it was happening on Monday. Counting the votes from the However, for the majority of absentee thirty-one ballot boxes in Majuro also voters residing in the United States proved to be an ordeal, as the number this meant having ballots postmarked of voters tallied on voter sheets did by Saturday, 17 November, two days not always correspond to the num- prior to Election Day. Contributing ber of ballots in a given box. While to the confusion over the new rule counting offi cially began by 5 pm on was the statement on the president’s Tuesday, 20 November, the fi rst full Web site that voters should post their box was not completely counted until ballots “as soon as possible,” without 11 am the following day (Johnson and providing the actual deadline. What Chutaro 2007). Confusion over the is more, another change in the elec- outcome of the election occurred as tion law stated that absentee voters results were being announced piece- had to request a ballot or they would meal over v7ab (the government radio not receive one (MIJ, 2007b). All of station), on the Web site of the Offi ce this was trumped by the late arrival of the President, and unoffi cially on (13 November) of all postal ballots Yokwe.net, although the numbers to Springdale, Arkansas, home to the were not always the same. largest community of Marshallese Even on 30 November, ten days outside the country (Massey 2007). later, the confusion continued. The By 3 December, a total of 1,239 Marshall Islands Journal reported that absentee ballots had arrived in the opposition aka party had won Majuro, a far cry from the approxi- enough seats to form a new govern- mately 2,500 received in the 2003 ment and the Journal endorsed Alvin election. Of the ballots received by Jacklick, the udp senator from Jaluit the election offi ce, only 621 were who had been minister of health in considered valid; more than half Note’s administration, for president. were immediately deemed “spoiled” Meanwhile, former President Imata for being postmarked after the 18 Kabua stated that former Speaker November deadline (MIJ, 2007a). Litokwa Tomeing would be the next Voters living overseas complained, president, and advocated for a change asking how many ballot requests had in diplomatic recognition from the been received by the election offi ce, Republic of China (Taiwan) to the and how and when the ballots were People’s Republic of China. While the actually mailed (Aenet Rowa, Election aka leaders announced both the for- blog, comment posted 4 Dec 2007). mation of a coalition government and Additionally, the electoral adminis- a new political party called the United tration was sued in the high court to People’s Party (upp), by this time force it to count 136 “spoiled” ballots leaders of both parties had lodged postmarked on the day of the election, complaints with the electoral adminis- but the court responded by ruling that tration over voter eligibility and ballot pol i t ical reviews • micronesia 127 counting.