Government

The legislative branch of the government consists of the Nitijela (parliament) with an advisory council of high chiefs. The Nitijela has 33 members from 24 districts elected for concurrent 4-year terms. Members are called senators.

The president is elected by the Nitijela from among its members (elected Senetors). Presidents pick cabinet members from the Nitijela. Amata Kabua was elected as the first President of the republic in 1979. Subsequently he was re-elected to 4-year terms in 1983 1987 1991 and 1996. The Republic of the Marshall Islands has four court systems: Supreme Court high court district and community courts and the traditional rights court. Trial is by jury or judge. Jurisdiction of the traditional rights court is limited to cases involving titles or land rights or other disputes arising from customary law and traditional practice. Principal Government Officials Head of State--President Amata Kabua Minister of Foreign Affairs--Phillip Muller Ambassador to the U.S.--Banny de Brum Ambassador to the UN--Laurence N. Edwards The Republic of the Marshall Islands maintains an embassy at 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20008 (tel. 202-234- 5414). The Marshall Islands' mission to the United Nations is located at the News Building 220 E. 42nd St. 31st Floor New York NY 10017 (tel. 212-983-3040). Consulates are located at 1888 Lusitana St. Suite 301 Honolulu HI 96813 (tel. 808-545-7767) and 1500 Quail St. Suite 210 Newport Beach CA 92660 (tel. 714-474-0331).

Citizens of the Marshall Islands live with a relatively new democratic political system combined with a hierarchical traditional culture. As in some other Pacific island nations potential conflict has been avoided by virtue of the fact that one of the highest chiefs Amata Kabua remains President. There have been a number of local and national elections since the Republic of the Marshall Islands was founded and in general democracy has functioned well. There have been some incidents of human rights concern however such as the government urging a high court judge to resign or putting pressure on the local newspaper because of press criticism. In the 1991 national election the Ralik-Ratak Democratic Party (RRDP) was formed to run against President Kabua and his supporters. The governing party was later called the Government Party. The RRDP elected only two candidates to the Nitijela but the party remains an alternative for people dissatisfied with the national government.