Micronesian General Election, 2019

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The 2019 Micronesian General Election is scheduled to take place on November 18, 2019, to elect members to the 21st Assembly of the Micronesian Parliament. Speaker of Parliament William Haines, having taken office only a month prior, dissolved the 20th Assembly on October 11th, 2019, on the advice of President Matthew Turner, after over three and a half years in power since the 2016 election. The leaders were all the same from the prior election, with the exception of the Liberal Party, running with former Vice-President Linton McInroe.

Timeline

  • October 11 - The election is officially called in the country, after a month of speculation following Speaker John Robinson's retirement, and the appointment of William Haines. President Matthew Turner, who would have been due up for an election in February 2020, called the election three months early to ensure that enough voters turn out in more suitable weather, as during the previous election there was concern that a potential snowstorm would prevent citizens from voting, which would have caused problems considering that the country practices compulsory voting among those who are 18 years of age and older.
  • October 12 - With the election in full swing, much of the opposition criticizes Turner's recent move to declare a "Climate State of Emergency," giving him various powers under the Micronesian Constitution, albeit limited under a minority government. Peter Wright, in particular, claimed that the declaration was a mere "power grab," criticizing the President for "taking advantage of confused and frightened people" by declaring a state of emergency for political gain. Out of all the opposition parties, only Green Party leader Colm Parker supported the state of emergency, although he did say that he would scale back the scale of the declaration, only invoking the areas directly related to the environment.
  • October 15 - Unsurprisingly, the environment is listed as the #1 biggest issue in the upcoming election campaign, with the economy and immigration closely behind.
  • October 17 - Reform Leader Peter Wright draws criticism for suggesting that those who came into the country under President Turner's "non-visa" immigration policy would be subject to deportation, which draws backlash across the country. In the same day, Wright scaled back his comments, commenting that he would only "review" the resident status of the immigrants, not deport them immediately. Turner says that Wright's backtracking shows he has something to hide in regards to his immigration policy.
  • October 20 - After being asked about immigration and abortion, Green Party leader Colm Parker dismisses the questions, calling them "irrelevant" and "secondary" to the issues about the environment. President Turner acknowledges the importance of protecting the environment, but says that Parker's dismissive attitude towards other issues shows that the Green Party is a "one-party issue."
  • October 28 - Projected date for the Writers' Debate, held after being cancelled in 2016 due to a lack of interest.
  • November 4 - Projected date for the Leaders' Debate.
  • November 11 - Projected date for the Peoples' Debate.
  • November 18 - Election Day.

Standings

Party Party Leader Seats
2016 Elected
National Matthew Turner 41 51
Reform Peter Wright 15 22
Green Colm Parker 21 16
Liberal Linton McInroe 20 10
Alliance Chuck McGann 4 2