General elections were held in Palau on 6 November 2012. Former president Tommy Remengesau defeated his successor, incumbent Johnson Toribiong, who had been elected in 2008.[1]Antonio Bells was elected vice-president, defeating Kerai Mariur, who had finished first in the primary elections on 26 September.
The president and vice president elections had primary elections on 26 September,[2] from which the top two candidates qualified for the presidential general election on 6 November.[2]
15,305 voters registered to vote, an increase of 1,516 voters from the 2008 elections.[3]
Three candidates contested the presidential primary: Incumbent President Johnson Toribiong, former President Tommy Remengesau Jr., and former Vice PresidentSandra Pierantozzi, who served as vice president from 2001 to 2005.[2] Remengesau and Toribiong, who placed first and second respectively in the primary, advanced to the general election.[4]