Government & politics — Micronesia
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Micronesia: Federated States of Micronesia
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
Federated States of Micronesia
- Country Name
none
- Local - Long
Federated States of Micronesia
- Local - Short
none
- Abbreviation
FSM
- Former Name
- New Philippines
- Caroline Islands
- Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts
- Etymology- history of name
the term "Micronesia" is a 19th-century construct of two Greek words, "micro" (small) and "nesoi" (islands), and refers to thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean
- Independence
3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
- National Holiday
Constitution Day, 10 May (1979)
Political system
- Government Type
federal republic in free association with the US
- Constitution
- history: drafted June 1975, ratified 1 October 1978,
- entered into force 10 May 1979 amendments: proposed by Congress, by a constitutional convention, or by public petition; passage requires approval by at least three-fourths majority vote in at least three fourths of the states; amended 1990; note – at least every 10 years as part of a general or special election, voters are asked whether to hold a constitution convention; a majority of affirmative votes is required to proceed; amended many times, last in 2019 (approval by referendum to hold a constitutional convention)
- Legal System:
mixed legal system of common and customary law
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: President Wesley W. SIMINA (since 12 May 2023); Vice President Aren B. PALIK (since 12 May 2023); note - the president is
- both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Wesley W. SIMINA (since 12 May 2023);
- Vice President Aren B. PALIK (since 12 May 2023) cabinet: Cabinet includes the vice president and th
- e heads of the 8 executive departments elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by Congress from among the 4 'at large' senators for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last h
- eld on 12 May 2023 (next to be held in 2027) election results: David W. PANUELO elected president by Congress; Yosiwo P. GEORGE reelected vice president
- Legislative Branch:
Description
unicameral Congress (14 seats; 10 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 2-year terms and 4 at- large members directly elected from each of the 4 states by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
Elections
last held on 7 March 2023 (next to be held in March 2025)
Election Results
- percent of vote - NA
- seats - independent 14;
Composition
- men 12, women 2
- percentage of women 14.3%
- Judicial Branch:
- highest court(s): Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and not more than 5 associate justices and organized into appella
- te and criminal divisions) judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the FSM president with the approval of two-thirds of Congress;
- the highest state-level courts are: Chuuk Supreme Court; Korsae State Court; Pohnpei State Court; Yap State Court
- Regions or States:
Summary
4 states
Regions or States
- Chuuk (Truk)
- Kosrae (Kosaie)
- Pohnpei (Ponape)
- Yap
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- no formal parties
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship Criteria:
- no citizenship by descent only: at least on
- no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Capital & time
- Capital Name
- Palikir note: Palikir became the new capital of the country in 1989, three years after independence
- Kolonia, the former capital, remains the site for many foreign embassies
- it also serves as the Pohnpei state capital
- Capital - geographic coordinate
6 55 N, 158 09 E
- Capital Time Difference
UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: Micronesia has two time zones
International role
- International Organization Participation:
ACP, ADB, AOSIS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WMO
- International Law Organization Participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Jennifer JOHNSON (since 13 September 2023) embassy: 1286 US Embassy Place, Kolonia, Pohnpei, FM 96941 mailing address: 4120 Kolonia Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-4120
telephone
[691] 320-2187
FAX
[691] 320-2186
Email address and website
- koloniaacs@state.gov
- https://fm.usembassy.gov/
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Jackson T. SORAM (since 27 February 2024)
chancery
1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone
[1] (202) 223-4383
FAX
[1] (202) 223-4391
Email address and website
- dcmission@fsmembassy.fm
- https://fsmembassy.fm/
consulate(s) general
Honolulu, Portland (OR), Tamuning (Guam)
