FSM HistoryLesson pack 9 of 10
Politics and society since 1979 1979–2026
Summary
The young federation built its own institutions, opening the FSM Supreme Court in 1981 and making Palikir the capital in 1989. President Tosiwo Nakayama vetoed a 1981 bill to make Chuuk’s Faichuk region a separate state, and Chuuk’s planned 2015 independence vote has been postponed again and again. After decades in which most proposed amendments failed, voters in July 2023 approved all nine on the ballot, including dual citizenship.
Main topics: Congress picks the president from four senators; The founding years built institutions and strains; Constitutional change is hard by design; Chuuk’s independence push keeps stalling; Foreign policy balanced Beijing, Washington and the region; COVID stayed out until mid-2022.
Mini-timeline
| 1979 | (1 Jan 1979) Jacob Nena and Yosiwo George were sworn in as Kosrae’s first elected governor and lieutenant governor under a district charter. [TTPI Bureau of Public Affairs release, 15 Jan 1979 (UH eVols)] |
|---|---|
| 1984 | (5 Jan 1984) Governor Resio Moses signs the law creating the Ponape State Leadership Conference on political status. [National Union, 15 Jan 1984] |
| 1987 | (3 Mar 1987) All 14 Congress seats elected; a referendum on four-year terms for all members fails, 62.63% against. [Wikipedia, 1987 election] |
| 1991 | (2 Jul 1991) Referendum passes 4 of 26 proposed amendments, including state powers over education and social security. [Wikipedia, 1991 referendum] |
| 1995 | (Mar 1995) Amendment for four-year Senate terms fails in all four states under the three-quarters rule. [National Union, Mar 1995] |
| 1999 | (11–12 Jan 1999) Rensley A. Sigrah becomes Kosrae governor; Nena attends the 12 January inauguration. [WorldStatesmen] |
| 2002 | (2 Jul 2002) Tropical Storm Chata’an triggers over 250 landslides; deaths given as 43 (USGS) or 47 (FSM government); Tonoas worst hit. [USGS] |
| 2008 | (30 Dec) Mori declares a national emergency over the tidal surges; patrol boats carry relief. [unmission.fm] |
| 2018 | (Nov) Henry Falan and Jesse Salalu defeat Governor Ganngiyan, 2,222 votes to 2,074; results reported 29 Nov. [Pacific Island Times] |
| 2024 | (9 Mar) Biden signs Public Law 118-42, enacting $3.3B in Compact III funding through FY2043. [FSM JCRP] |
| 2025 | (26 Sep) Simina addresses UNGA80 and meets President Trump on the sidelines. [gov.fm, Sep 2025] |
| 2026 | (2026 (48th session)) UNESCO keeps Nan Madol on the Danger List and wants a plan aligned with Pohnpeian living traditions. [UNESCO Decision 48 COM 7A.25] |
Discussion questions
How does the FSM choose its president, and how is that different from the United States?
Why is changing the constitution hard by design?
What arguments have been made for and against Chuuk’s independence?
How has the FSM balanced relations with China, the United States and the region?
Dual citizenship failed more than three times before passing in every state in 2023. What might have changed?
Quiz
Circle one letter for each multiple-choice question. Write short answers on the lines. For ordering questions, fill the boxes in order, earliest first.
How is the FSM president chosen?
- A By a direct national vote
- B By Congress, from among its four at-large senators, one per state
- C By the four state governors
- D By traditional chiefs
Put these in order, earliest first:
- A The FSM recognizes the People’s Republic of China
- B The first COVID cases appear in Pohnpei and Kosrae
- C The FSM Supreme Court opens
Earliest Latest
Why was the FSM constitution so hard to change before 2023?
Who vetoed the 1981 bill to make Chuuk’s Faichuk region a separate state?
In 2009 the FSM and another country proposed curbing HFC gases under the Montreal Protocol. Which country was the partner, and what did the proposal grow into?