Political Reviews 0LFURQHVLDLQ5HYLHZ,VVXHVDQG(YHQWV-XO\ WR-XQH david w kupferman, kelly g marsh, donald r shuster, tyrone j taitano 3RO\QHVLDLQ5HYLHZ,VVXHVDQG(YHQWV-XO\ WR-XQH lorenz gonschor, hapakuke pierre leleivai, margaret mutu, forrest wade young 7KH&RQWHPSRUDU\3DFL²F9ROXPH1XPEHU¥ E\8QLYHUVLW\RI+DZDL©L3UHVV 127 political reviews micronesia 135 Group. Hagåtña, Guam. http://www assist those who had migrated to the .pacificnewscenter.com/ United States. Politico.com. Arlington, Virginia. The most significant political event http://www.politico.com/ of the period was the national elec- tion held on 21 November 2011. In PreservationDirectory.com. Portland, Oregon. http://www.preservationdirectory the run-up to the balloting, numerous .com members of then-President and Iroij Jurelang Zedkaia’s administration Reuters. New York. http://www.reuters (including the president) formed a new .com/ political party, Kien Eo Am (kea, Your Saipan Tribune. Daily. Garapan, Saipan. Government), and, in a break from http://www.saipantribune.com/ previous attempts at party politics Stars and Stripes Guam. http://guam. in the Marshall Islands, the group stripes.com/ formalized its existence by selecting upi, United Press International. Washing- a party leader, Arno Senator Gerald ton, dc. http://www.upi.com/ Zackios. By the middle of October, kea announced that it had thirteen Wall Street Journal. Daily, New York. members, which, although short of the http://online.wsj.com seventeen-member majority needed Whitman, Frank. 2012. Lobbying to control the Nitijela (Parliament), Group Formed to Promote Guam demonstrated a coordination of politi- Build-Up. Marianas Business Journal, cal determination rarely seen in the 27 February. Reported online at Marshall Islands. This effort appar- http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/ ently was not counterbalanced by the 2012/March/03-07-03.htm opposition senators, most of whom were affiliated with the traditional ruling class from Kwajalein Atoll (MIJ, Marshall Islands 14 Oct 2011). Compared to the previous election The period under review for the in 2007, which by all accounts was Republic of the Marshall Islands the worst run in the country’s history (RMI) saw a change in government, (Kupferman 2011), the 2011 elec- controversy over the largest-to-date tion went off largely without a hitch. proposed construction project in the The only last-minute change to the country, and rising tensions with the ballot involved the senate candidates United States over unresolved issues from Kwajalein. Ataji Balos, a former related to the nation’s nuclear history senator and longtime member of the and the Compact of Free Association. opposition to Amata Kabua and the At the end of the period, however, it Kwajalein landowners, had been may be fair to ask what, if anything, removed from the ballot in September changed other than the names of those by the chief electoral officer for failing in positions of power, as the new gov- to submit candidacy papers on time. ernment continued to struggle to meet However, on 11 November, the acting the basic needs of the people living in attorney general reinstated Balos on the Marshalls and seemed unable to the ballot, thereby delaying the arrival 136 the contemporary pacific 25:1 (2013) of accurate postal ballots for Kwaja- one of a number of former senators lein by two and a half weeks (MIJ, 18 who were returning to the Nitijela. Nov 2011). The inclusion of Balos on Others included Jiba Kabua (who the ballot ensured a contested elec- had lost his seat for Namdrik Atoll tion for Kwajalein, as he became the in 1999), defeating Gerald Zackios fourth candidate for three seats in the for the seat for Arno Atoll; Hiroshi Nitijela. Yama mura, who won his seat back On the day of the election, voter from Utrik Senator and Minister of turnout in the early morning hours Health Amenta Matthew after losing was high, and poll watchers expected to her in 2007; and Phillip Muller, record numbers. After the morning who had lost reelection in 1999, this rush, however, the crowds disap- time winning one of the two open peared, and by the time ballots were seats for Majuro Atoll. Brand-new counted on Wednesday, it was appar- members of the Nitijela included Tony ent that voter turnout was at a near- Muller, the former general manager record low. The Marshall Islands Jour- of the National Telecommunications nal estimated that on Majuro Atoll, Authority, who won the other open the capital and the first district to have seat for Majuro; Thomas Heine, who its ballots counted, approximately defeated incumbent Rellong Lemari 2,500 votes were cast, representing for Lae Atoll; Wilbur Heine, defeating a mere 30 percent of all registered Mili Atoll incumbent Kejjo Bien; Tony voters. Election officials guessed that Aisea, who won the seat for Namu one of the reasons for the low turnout Atoll from incumbent Kaiboke Kabua; was the large amount of out-migration and Hilda Heine, who won the open of Marshallese to the United States, seat for Aur Atoll. and they expected an increase in the The loss by Amenta Matthew and number of absentee postal ballots the election of Hilda Heine continued from overseas (MIJ, 25 Nov 2011). a trend in recent elections wherein By 5 December, the deadline for the the only female incumbent loses her arrival of postal ballots in Majuro, bid for reelection and is replaced by a however, only 2,500 overseas ballots new female member, thus maintaining had been received, 350 of which were the male-to-female ratio in the Niti- invalidated for numerous irregularities jela at 32:1. Despite a record number (MIJ, 9 Dec 2011). of women candidates in 2011, the By 28 December, the final senate defeat of Matthew and the election seat was decided. After two recounts, of only Heine seemed to underscore and barely avoiding a tiebreaker an apparent lack of progress in terms (known in Marshallese as kubwe of gender equity at the national level, in kijirik—literally “mouse shit,” a although it should be noted that at reference to the unpleasantness of the local level women made modest breaking a tie), Caios Lucky defeated strides in winning election to a hand- incumbent Frederick Muller for the ful of mayoral and council seats. It seat for Ujae Atoll by two votes (MIJ, remains to be seen whether Heine will 30 Dec 2011). Lucky, who had lost his be able to reverse the political trend reelection bid to Muller in 2007, was and actually win reelection in 2015, political reviews micronesia 137 which would mark the first reelection when longtime Ailinglaplap Senator of a woman senator in the country’s and Iroij Christopher Loeak was history. elected president over Iroij Jurelang With the exception of Tony Zedkaia by a vote of 21 to 11 (one Muller, who allied himself with the vote went to Kessai Note) (MIJ, 6 Jan kea party, the new senators did not 2012). What was also clear was that explicitly align themselves either the presidency remains, at least for the with President Zedkaia’s kea or with time being, the province of the iroij, or the opposition and Kwajalein land- chiefly class, as Loeak is now the fifth owners, nor were they part of the of six presidents to hold that title; the five-member coalition led by former only non-iroij president was Kessai President and Jabat Senator Kessai Note. What is less clear is whether the Note (which included Likiep Senator period of relative instability (marked Donald Capelle, Kili/Bikini/Ejit Sena- by three presidential administrations tor Tomaki Juda, Maloelap Senator in four years) is now over or whether Michael Konelios, and Jaluit Senator the creation of kea, Note’s five- Rien Morris). However, the defeat of member coalition, and the coalescence Gerald Zackios, Frederick Muller, and of the Kwajalein landowners signals Amenta Matthew, all kea members, another round of opposition politics. signaled the relatively weak position Indeed, Loeak’s cabinet reflected of the incumbent administration, and not only the change in government all eyes turned to the election of the favoring the Kwajalein group and the president, Speaker, and vice speaker alliance with Kessai Note but also the as the first order of business when the inclusion of many of the new, non- new Nitijela was seated on 3 January aligned senators. Kwajalein Senator 2012. Donald Capelle, the three-term Tony DeBrum was named minister in senator from Likiep and one of Kessai assistance, marking his fourth return Note’s group, was elected Speaker to the executive branch in twenty by a vote of 20 to 13 over kea nomi- years; Phillip Muller was appointed nee Majuro Senator Brenson Wase; minister of foreign affairs, a post he Senator Tomaki Juda, also part of held previously under the adminis- Note’s group, was elected vice speaker tration of President and Iroij Imata over Ebon Senator and kea member Kabua in the late 1990s; Mejit Senator John Silk, also by a vote of 20 to 13 Dennis Momotaro was named minis- (MIJ, 6 Jan 2012). Capelle replaced ter of finance; Wotho Senator David Jaluit Senator and kea stalwart Alvin Kabua was named minister of health; Jacklick, while Juda succeeded former Hilda Heine was appointed minister of Majuro Senator Alik Alik, who had education; Thomas Heine was named retired from the Nitijela in 2011. minister of justice; Michael Konelios With such obvious victories over was appointed minister of resources kea by Capelle and Juda, it was evi- and development; Wilbur Heine was dent that Kessai Note’s coalition had appointed minister of internal affairs; aligned itself, at least initially, with Rien Morris was named minister of the former opposition and Kwajalein transportation and communications; landowners.