(Majuro)-- Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing went down to defeat in a historic vote of no confidence Wednesday, the first successful vote in the history of the 30-years of Constitutional government in this western Pacific nation.
The vote was a close 17-15, but just met the Constitutional requirement of a majority of the 33-members of parliament. Speaker Jurelang Zedkaia
named Tomeing’s minister in assistance Ruben Zackhras as acting president shortly after the vote and called for Nitijela to return Friday to elect a
new president.
Former President Kessai Note, whose party lost the election in 2007, is vying to become the new president. Many senators crossed party lines to
bring down Tomeing’s government.
The vote took place at about 2:10 p.m. Wednesday and followed three-and-a-half hours of harsh debate and finger-pointing in the chamber
Wednesday, and two previous days of equally sharp debate.
On Wednesday, following a strong rebuttal by Foreign Minister John Silk of Tuesday’s attack on Tomeing by former President Kessai Note, both Note
and Senator Tony deBrum launched strong defenses that lasted through much of Wednesday morning and early afternoon, with a final reply from President Tomeing.
Tomeing served as president for 22 months and was the target of three votes of no confidence, the first two unsuccessful.
The Constitution specifies that when a vote of no confidence gains 17 or more votes, the president is considered to have “tendered his resignation
from office.â€
The success of the motion of no confidence kicked off a debate as to what happens next.
Parliament legal counsel Divine Waiti told the parliament it has 14 days in which to elect a new president, and this 14-day period starts “tickingâ€
from Oct. 23, meaning the Nitijela can elected a new president any time between this Friday and Nov. 5.
Marshalls President ousted
