Losing Marshalls candidates take key roles

8:21 am on 25 March 2016

Five candidates who lost election bids in the November national election were named in key government positions by the Marshall Islands nitijela or parliament on Thursday.

Marshall Islands parliament

Marshall Islands parliament Photo: Supplied

They will fill numerous vacancies that had been awaiting action by President Hilda Heine, who took office at the end of January.

Former foreign minister Tony deBrum, nine-term senator Ruben Zackhras and former United Nations Ambassador Amatlain Kabua, who each failed to secure seats in the November poll, have been made Ambassadors.

Mr deBrum is now the Marshalls' first roving ambassador for climate change; Mr Zackhras becomes new Ambassador to Fiji, and Ms Kabua returnes to her previous Ambassadorial post at the UN in New York.

The former Nitijela speaker, Donald Capelle becomes chair of the Public Service Commission, and one-term senator Jiba Kabua is to be a Public Service Commissioner.

In addition, the United States Ambassadorial post has gone to Gerald Zackios, a former MP, who had served as Foreign Minister under president Kessai Note in the mid 2000's.