At Stake in this Election: 

On 4 July 2023, Micronesians will vote on a series of constitutional amendments proposed by the Constitutional Convention. The proposed amendments would legalize dual citizenship, reduce the share of votes required to pass a constitutional amendment, make it harder for Congress to override a presidential veto, restrict senatorial eligibility to those born in Micronesia, give state courts exclusive jurisdiction over land disputes, establish an independent office to prosecute misuse of public funds cases, share half of fishing license revenues with state governments, and establish a formula for dividing future seabed resource revenues. 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Wesley W. SIMINA (since 23 May 2023) 

• Head of Government: President Wesley W. SIMINA (since 23 May 2023) 

• Assembly: a unicameral Congress with 14 seats 

Electoral System:  

• The President is elected by Congress from a group of four senators at large. The President may serve up to two 4-year terms. 

• Members of Congress are directly elected. 10 members are elected in single-seat constituencies by majority vote and serve a 2-year term. An additional “at large” member is elected from each of the four Micronesian states by proportional representation vote and serve a 4-year term. 

Last Referendum: 

In 2019, Micronesians voted to hold a constitutional convention with 61% of voters in favor. Voter turnout was 24%. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Voter registration deadline: 4 June 2023 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 101,009 (2022 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 35,176 (2021 est.) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 51,535 (2022 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Ratified by accession 1 Sept. 2004 

• Gender Quota: No 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 2 out of 14 (14.3%) in the Congress 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.628, Medium, Rank 134 (2021 est.)  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Not available  

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 23 Sept. 2011, Ratified 7 Dec. 2016 

• Projected population with a disability: 15,151 (2022 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Micronesia: Yes, programming 

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: No