Aderkeroi Wins Ngardmau Governorship

With 55 percent of the vote counted, Blesoch Aderkeroi appears to have won the Ngardmau State gubernatorial race in Palau that was held yesterday. A total of 239 out of 431 have been counted with absentee ballots to be counted next week.

Aderkeroi holds a wide lead over incumbent governor Renguul Masahiro with a 140 to 89 votes. The 51 votes margin appears to put Aderkeroi in a comfortable lead with absentee ballots not expected to change the result.

Aderkeroi show of popular support was unexpected as Masahiro topped the 4-way race in the state gubernatorial primary election on 27 September with a 22-vote difference over Aderkeroi, with many expecting the incumbent governor to win a second-term in office.

In the election for the 9-member legislature, the results indicate that a majority of the incoming legislators will be new with six new members.

The following is the result of the top nine candidates for the legislature: 1) Terence Miozawa – 191; 2) Akiko Beketaut Udui – 140; 3) Florencio I. Ngiraiwet – 131; 4) Masao Sabo Esebei – 130; 5) Diana Smau – 123; 6) Gibson Towai – 110; 7) Johnny J. Tudong – 108; 8) Willard Kumangai – 103; and Naomi I. Ngirakamerang – 87.

In 10th place is Gibbons Masahiro – 77; 11) write-in candidate Kinziro Kloulubak 72; 12) Norman Aderkeroi 65, and 13) write-in candidate Joshua Bukringang – 63. The more than two-dozen absentee votes won’t make any difference on the remaining candidates.

The results of this Ngardmau 9th General Election is still unofficial.