Congress elected Tosiwo Nakayama (Chuuk) president and Petrus Tun (Yap) vice president on 11 May; both were inaugurated on 15 May.

What happened

Congress chose Chuuk’s Tosiwo Nakayama, who had chaired the 1975 Constitutional Convention, as the first president, with Yap’s Petrus Tun as vice president. Both had to give up their seats in Congress. Hanlon writes that Nakayama’s first term focused on the transition, nation-building, economic development and dividing power between the national and state governments.

Why it matters

Nakayama was the first of ten presidents, all chosen by Congress from its at-large senators.