PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On October 8th , 2021, His Excellency David W. Panuelo—President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)—conducted the oath of office ceremony to formally swear-in the Honorable Ausen Lambert, the Honorable Gardenia Aisek, the Honorable Marcus Samo, and the Honorable Elina Akinaga as the Director of the National Election Office, the Secretary for the Department of Education, the Secretary of the Department of Health & Social Affairs, and the Secretary of the Department of Resources & Development respectively.
“Do you, [Ausen Lambert/Gardenia Aisek/Marcus Samo/Elina Akinaga], solemnly swear that you will faithfully execute the duties and responsibilities of the office to which you have been appointed, and will, to the best of your ability, uphold, promote, and support the laws and Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia, so help you God?” said President Panuelo.
“I do,” said Director Lambert and Secretaries Aisek, Samo, and Akinaga.
In his remarks, President Panuelo described that Director Lambert is committed to ensuring that national elections are fair, accountable, and transparent. The President described that Director Lambert, formerly the Speaker of the Pohnpei State Legislature, is keen to address perceived flaws in the Nation’s election processes, and noted that—as the 4th FSM Constitutional Convention is set to reconvene on or around October 25th , 2021, with July 12th tentatively scheduled as the referendum date for proposed amendments to the FSM Constitution—the Director has significant work ahead of him.
President Panuelo remarked that Secretary Aisek, a former Director of Chuuk State’s Department of Education and a former member of the Chuuk State Legislature, is a champion of children, and will focus on improving the quality of basic education services in the FSM, including a rigorous application of the FSM School Accreditation Systems Procedures.
President Panuelo remarked that Secretary Samo has long been the right-hand lieutenant for previous Secretaries at the Department of Health & Social Affairs, and that, as a highly capable and competent bureaucrat, Secretary Samo has played a crucial role in both keeping the Nation COVID- 19 free.
President Panuelo remarked that Secretary Akinaga has experience across multiple sectors, ranging from tourism to food security, and auditing to tackling typhoons. The President noted that Secretary Akinaga, an adept professional, has strengthening the capacity of each of the Department of Resources & Development’s six sectors as her top priority.
