The Election Commission started counting the absentee ballots at 4:30 pm yesterday.
Maria Decherong, Administrative Specialist in a phone interview yesterday said that they sent 123 absentee ballots and as of 3 pm yesterday they already received 72 absentee ballots from Saipan, Guam, Hawaii and US.
She said once the absentee ballots will be counted and no one among the three gubernatorial candidates get a 51 percent of votes as mandated by the Ngaraard Constitution, there will be a runoff election.
The total registered voters for Ngaraard is 1,213 and only 634 went out to cast their votes.
Based on the Palau Election Commission’s unofficial result, incumbent governor Laurentino Ulengchong got 45 percent of the votes while opponent Priscilla Subris got 39 percent and Albert Shiro got 15 percent.
The unofficial result says that Ulengchong got 287 votes while Subris got 248 and Shiro got 93.
Ulengchong won in Choll Central and proper with 46 and 29 votes, Elab Central and Proper with 47 and 23 votes but lose in Ngebuked Central with only 26 votes and Ulimang Central with 25 votes.
He won in the Ngebuked proper with 34 votes and Ulimang proper with 28 votes but lose again in Ngkeklau Central and proper with 13 and 15 votes respectively.
Subris got 20 and 22 for Choll Central and Proper; 23 and 3 for Elab Central and Proper; 45 and 27 for Ngebuked Central and Proper; 30 and 19 for Ulimang Central and Proper and 42 and 17 for Ngkeklau Central and Proper.
Albert Shiro got 13, 2, 8, 5, 15, 10, 17, 20, 1 and 2.
Subris is a former teacher at Palau High School while Shiro is a retired Public Works employee and also a former delegate of the House of Delegates.
For Legislature at large, the top five candidates are Benjamin Iskawa, Tadashi Sakuma, Sweeny Shiro, Wilbert Ngirakamerang and Kalisto Manahane.
Iskawa got 347 votes, Sakuma got 308 votes, Shiro got 301 while Ngirakamerang got 266 and Manahane got 247.
They are followed by Lydia Ngirablosch with 214 votes, John Mengidab 161 votes, Gale Ngirmidol 140 votes, Henaro Deltang 140 votes and Petrus Bells with 120 votes.
For Hamlets legislators, Isaac Bai is leading in Choll with 77 votes over opponent Sikong Ngirakesau who got 54 votes.
Johnson Saikemal is the unofficial winner in Elab with 70 votes while in Ngebuked George Matsuda got 125 votes.
In Ulimang, Naito Soaladaob got 55 while Duane Tochi got 43 and Marcus kazu Shiro got 38 votes.
Jesse Edesomel, the sole candidate in Ngkeklau got 80 votes.
