Johnson Toribiong (born 22 July 1946) is a Palauanattorney and politician.[1]
Toribiong became the president of Palau, following his victory in the November 2008 election,
and left office in 2013.[2] Before 2020 elections, Toribiong has run for president four times - in 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012.[3]
Background and early career
Toribiong was born in Airai, one of the states of Palau. He attended the College of Guam, 1965–66, and holds a Juris Doctor degree (1972) and a Master of Laws (1973) degree from the University of Washington School of Law.[4][5] His LL.M. thesis was entitled, "Oil Pollution by Ships and Micronesia: A Survey of Maritime Jurisdiction and Applicable Laws."[6]
He was elected to the Senate of Palau in 1980. In the 1992 elections; Toribiong attracted 3,188 votes for president, versus 2,084 for one-term incumbent Ngiratkel Etpison and 3,125 for rival Kuniwo Nakamura; however, as no candidate attracted more than 50% of the vote, Nakamura and Toribiong went on to a runoff election, in which Toribiong was defeated.[7] He is the former Ngiraked of Airai.[8]
Toribiong led the early, unofficial vote tally with 1,629 votes to Chin's 1,499.[9] The lead ultimately held and Toribiong defeated Chin in the election.
Toribiong was sworn into office as president of Palau on January 15, 2009.[10]
Toribiong was defeated in the presidential election of 2012. One of the issues was his acceptance of 6 Uyghur former prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, who did not fit into Palauan society.[11]
^"The voters of Palau reject incumbent president". Radio Australia. 2012-11-08. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2012-11-15. While Barack Obama may have won a second term in the White House, there's no such joy in the former US territory of Palau, where voters have thrown out the incumbent president, Johnson Toribiong.