The final count for the candidates for senators is down to 43, with the Commission disqualifying one of the candidates.
For the candidates for the House of Delegates, it was now down to 43with four candidates disqualified from running and one candidate withdrawing his petition.The commission disqualified the nominating petition of Brien Sers Nicholas, who filed his candidacy for the Senate.The commission said that Nicholas did not meet the residency requirements of the law.“The commission has carefully considered your arguments and the items you listed that, in your opinion, support your assertion that you qualify as a “resident” under the code. While we appreciate your desire to run for elected office in Palau, and we recognize among other things, that you have close family ties with the community, that you are a member of the Palau Bar Association and may even at times practice law in this jurisdiction, it is that opinion of the Commission, that alone is not sufficient to meet the residency requirements of the statute even as interpreted,” the commission said.THE ELECTION Commission disqualified the nominating petitions of four incumbent delegates who have served more than three terms in the Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK).In a letter to House Speaker Antonio Bells, Floor Leader Sabino Anastacio, Del. Mario Gulibert the commission said that based on election laws the four candidates are ineligible to run for office.The commission earlier disqualified the nominating petitions of four delegates who have already served three terms.The commission ruled that Delegates Sabino Anastacio, Lucio Ngiraiwet, Mario Gulibert and Antonio Bells.The commission said that it based its decision on the constitutional amendment limiting the terms of office for a delegate of OEK.The delegates said they will be seeking legal remedy against the decision of the commission.The commission also announced that there are 14,190 registered voters for the primary elections set on Sept. 23.
