1974 Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Constitutional Convention election

February 2025 Constitutional Convention elections were held in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands on 4 June 1974.Slowly to independence, or something Pacific Islands Monthly, July 1974, p13, 112 Voters elected 42 members of a constitutional convention that would draw up a proposed constitution for an independent Micronesian state. Background The TTPI Congress approved legislation for the convention in March 1974; the bill was subsequently signed into law by Deputy High Commissioner Peter Tali Coleman. It was opposed by the Marshall Islands, whose District Legislature passed a resolution opposing participation in the convention in April.Micronesia's future in the melting pot Pacific Islands Monthly, June 1974, p13 As a result, only ten candidates contested the nine seats in the Marshall Islands, with two seats having no candidates. Results Only one woman, Mary Lanwi, was elected to the Convention.Interview: Mary Lanwi Micronesian Reporter, Third Quarter 1975, p4 Aftermath Following the elections, Congress attempted to declare the elections in the Marshall Islands null and void. However, the move was vetoed by High Commissioner Edward E. Johnston.Marshalls' Election Upheld Highlights, 15 May 1975 Held in Saipan,News in a Nutshell Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1975, p6 the Convention began on 12 July 1975 and lasted until 8 November.Micronesians' blue-print making 'one nation of many islands' Pacific Islands Monthly, December 1975, pp6–8 Tosiwo Nakayama was elected president of the convention. Delegates drafted a constitution with 16 articles, providing for a unicameral legislature with each district electing one member for a four-year term and a number of representatives for two-year terms depending on their population. A president and vice president would be selected from the members serving four-year terms. References Trust Category:Elections in the Federated States of Micronesia Category:Elections in the Marshall Islands Category:Elections in the Northern Mariana Islands Category:Elections in Palau Category:1974 in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Category:June 1974 in Oceania