6 Nov 2008

Results from Pacific elections firm up

2:53 pm on 6 November 2008

The results are now in from the four US-affliliated Pacific countries and territories that have held elections this week.

Megan Whelan has the details.

"In American Samoa, Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin has been re-elected to an 11th term as the territory's delegate to the US Congress winning over 7,000 ballots."

The House Speaker, Savali Talavou Ale, was re-elected along with only seven other incumbents following yesterday's general election that saw some veteran lawmakers unseated from their districts.

And American Samoa will need to hold a special election after none of the four gubernatorial teams received the required 50 percent plus one in order needed to win outright in the general election.

In Palau, presidential contender Johnson Toribiong and running mate Kerai Mariur hold a 264-vote slim lead with only non-resident ballots left to be counted, over Elias Camsek Chin, Palau's current vice president, and his running mate, Senator Alan Seid.

In Guam, the Democrats kept majority control of the Legislature, winning 10 seats, unseating 4 incumbents.

The Pacific Daily News reports that that may give them a super-majority -- enough votes to override any veto by Gov. Felix Camacho.

And in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the outcome of absentee voting for its first-ever congressional delegate is expected to uphold the victory of independent candidate Gregorio Sablan.