This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
the Marshall Islands

The President of the Marshall Islands is the head of government and head of state of the Marshall Islands, a Micronesian nation in the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. He or she is elected by the Nitijela (Legislature) from among its members. Presidents pick cabinet members from the Nitijela. Amata Kabua was elected as the first president of the republic in 1979. Subsequently, he was re-elected to 4-year terms in 1983, 1987, 1991, and 1996. After Amata Kabua's death in office, his first cousin, Imata Kabua, won a special election in 1997. The current president Christopher Loeak was elected and took office in January 2012.