(MAJURO) - In a speedy vote taking less than 15 minutes Monday morning, the Marshall Islands parliament elected Speaker Jur
elang Zedkaia as its fifth President.
The vote followed three days of tense and bitter debate over a vote of “no confidence†last week that ousted former President Litokwa Tomeing.
Zedkaia, like Tomeing, is a traditional chief, which was a key element in his lection. After his election, Zedkaia called for the Nitijela to work together and said what happened last week “is in the past.â€
The vote for Zedkaia was 17-15, the same as during last Wednesday’s vote f “no confidence,†giving him the bare one-vote minimum needed to win the presidency in the 33-seat parliament. He defeated former President Kessai Note, the only other nominee.
Zedkaia, a paramount chief for the capital atoll of Majuro, has presided ver the parliament since January 2008, and was a vice speaker in earlier
administrations. He is a five-term senator.
This presidential vote saw party lines blurred.
On Friday, Majuro Sen. Brenson Wase described MPsą political affiliations as mixed up as “fruit salad†with political parties no longer operative following fractures from three motions of no confidence during the past 12 months.
His comments were borne out by Monday’s nominations. Jaluit Senator Alvin Jacklick, a stalwart United Democratic Party member, nominated Zedkaia, who has been associated with the Aelon Kein Ad party, which controlled government last year when he was elected Speaker.
