Yearbook 2008
Palau. Johnson Toribiong, formerly Palau’s ambassador to Taiwan, was elected Nov. 4 as the country’s new president. In addition to the new president, more than 14,200 voters elected a vice president, 13 senators and 16 members to the House of Representatives. Voters also voted through 23 constitutional supplements. Because the elections were unusually extensive, outgoing President Tommy E. Remengesau had announced the election day, which was a Thursday, for the holidays.
Toribiong triumphed over his only counterpart, Elias Camsek Chin, who was vice president during Remengesau, with 51 percent of the vote. Toribiong himself said he won thanks to his clear message about the economy. He believes that Palau needs to become more self-sufficient and attract more investors to reduce dependence on foreign aid, especially from the United States.
- ABBREVIATIONFINDER: Click to see the meanings of 2-letter acronym and abbreviation of PW in general and in geography as Palau in particular.
New Vice President became Representative House Member Kerai Mariur. Outgoing President Remengesau was elected one of the 13 senators.
Population 2008
According to Countryaah reports, the population of Palau in 2008 was 17,844, ranking number 223 in the world. The population growth rate was -1.920% yearly, and the population density was 39.0326 people per km2.