Lazarus Eitaro Salii (17 November 1936 – 20 August 1988) was a politician from

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

. He served as the second elected

President of Palau The president of the Republic of Palau is the head of state and head of government of Palau. The president is Direct election, directly elected to a four-year term, and can be reelected once in a consecutive manner. List of officeholders ; ...

from 25 October 1985 until his death by suicide on 20 August 1988, amid bribery allegations. Salii was elected to the Senate of Micronesian Congress. He was involved in the Palau Constitutional Convention of 1978. After the Constitution took effect in 1981, he became an ambassador. As ambassador, he was given wide-ranging authority to negotiate with the U.S. ambassador. He was ambassador until 1984, when he became a senator, representing

Koror Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition of ...

in the

Palau National Congress Palau has a bicameral legislature, the Palau National Congress (), consisting of the House of Delegates and the Senate of Palau, which both sit at the capitol complex in Ngerulmud, Melekeok State. The House of Delegates has 16 members, each s ...

. When President

Haruo Remeliik Haruo Ignacio Remeliik (1 June 1931 – 30 June 1985) was the first President of Palau from 2 March 1981 until his assassination on 30 June 1985. He is buried at Kloulklubed in his home state of Peleliu. Remeliik was of mixed Japanese and Pala ...

was assassinated on 30 June 1985, Salii was elected in August to finish his term of office (although Thomas Remengesau and then Alfonso Oiterong served in the interim). Following his suicide by gunshot in 1988, he was succeeded by Vice President Remengesau as president for the remainder of his term, followed by

Ngiratkel Etpison Ngiratkel Etpison (3 May 1924 – 1 August 1997) was a politician and businessman from Palau. Etpison was elected President in 1988 and served from 1989 until 1993, becoming the country’s first elected president to serve a full term in office. ...

as the fifth president. He was the elder brother of Carlos Salii.

References

1936 births 1988 deaths 20th-century Palauan politicians Ambassadors of Palau Deaths by firearm in Palau Heads of state who died by suicide Members of the Congress of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Members of the Senate of Palau People from Angaur Politicians who died by suicide Presidents of Palau Suicides in Palau 20th-century presidents in Oceania {{Palau-politician-stub