Current policy
Marshall Islands is a country located in the region of Micronesia. See abbreviation for Marshall Islands. In January 2020, Parliament elected David Kabua as President of the Marshall Islands. In the vote, he defeated incumbent Head of State Hilda Heine, who had lost the majority in parliament in a fall 2019 election.
In the November 2019 parliamentary elections, President Heine’s supporters became a minority. It became very important when Parliament elected president in January 2020; Heine was defeated by challenger David Kabua with the numbers 20-12.
- Countryaah: Country facts and history of Marshall Islands, including state flag, location map, demographics, GDP data, currency code, and business statistics.
Marshall Islands politicians gather in party-like groups but formally hold personal elections (see Political system).
Hilda Heine was the first female president of the Marshall Islands. In the country, she is known as a champion for women’s rights as well as a voice in the low-lying island republic’s fight against climate change.
The most important political issues since the turn of the millennium have touched the Marshall Islands’ close ties to the United States: the renegotiation of the agreement on free association with the United States and the issue of further damages to those affected by the nuclear weapons test blasts across the islands in the 1940s and 1950s (see also Foreign Policy and Defense).
A third major question is how the Marshall Islands will in the future be able to become more financially independent of the United States. Today, exports are very limited, unemployment is high and many residents feed on agriculture and self-catering fisheries (see Economic overview).
Another key issue for the low-lying Marshall Islands is how climate change can threaten the country’s existence in the long run, unless global warming leading to rising seawater levels can be stopped (see Natural Resources and Energy).
FACTS – POLITICS
Official name
Majõl / Republic of the Marshall Islands / Republic of the Marshall Islands
GOVERNMENT
republic, unitary state
Head of State
President David Kabua (2020–)
Head of government
President David Kabua (2020–)
Most important parties with mandates in the last election
personal vote; no formal political parties exist (2019)
Main parties with mandates in the second most recent elections
personal vote; no formal political parties exist (2015)
Turnout
46% in the 2015 parliamentary elections, 38% in the 2019 parliamentary elections
Upcoming elections
parliamentary elections 2023
