Coconut tree; national colors: deep blue, red.
Title | "Fanohge Chamoru" (Stand Ye Guamanians) |
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Lyric/music | Ramon Manalisay SABLAN [English], Lagrimas UNTALAN [Chamoru]/Ramon Manalisay SABLAN |
Date of Independence | none (territory of the US) |
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National holiday | Discovery Day (or Magellan Day), first Monday in March (1521) |
Legal system | common law modeled on US system; US federal laws apply |
International law organization participation | |
Constitution | |
History | Effective 1 July 1950 (Guam Act of 1950 serves as a constitution) |
Amendments | Amended many times, last in 2015 |
Citizenship | |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | President Joseph R. BIDEN Jr. (since 20 January 2021) |
Head of government | Governor Lourdes LEON GUERRERO (since 7 January 2019) |
Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the Legislature |
Elections/appointments | president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by an Electoral College of 'electors' chosen from each state to serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Guam, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ballot by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for 2 consecutive terms); gubernatorial election last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held in November 2026) |
Election results | 2022: Lourdes LEON GUERRERO reelected governor; percent of vote - Lourdes LEON GUERRERO (Democratic Party) 55%, Felix CAMACHO (Republican Party) 44%; Josh TENORIO (Democratic Party) elected lieutenant governor 2018: Lourdes LEON GUERRERO elected governor; percent of vote - Lourdes LEON GUERRERO (Democratic Party) 50.7%, Ray TENORIO (Republican Party) 26.4%; Josh TENORIO (Democratic Party) elected lieutenant governor |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Unicameral Legislature of Guam or Liheslaturan Guahan (15 seats; members elected in a single countrywide constituency by simple majority vote to serve 2-year terms) Guam directly elects 1 member by simple majority vote to serve a 2-year term as the delegate to the US House of Representatives; note - the delegate can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the Committee of the Whole House, but not when legislation is submitted for a “full floor” House vote |
Elections | Guam Legislature - last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) delegate to the US House of Representatives - last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) |
Election results | Guam Legislature - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 9, Republican Party 6; composition - men 9, women 6, percent of women 40% Guam delegate to the US House of Representatives - Democratic Party 1 (man) |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | Supreme Court of Guam (consists of 3 justices); note - appeals beyond the Supreme Court of Guam are referred to the US Supreme Court |
Judge selection and term of office | Justices appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Guam legislature; justices appointed for life subject to retention election every 10 years |
Subordinate courts | Superior Court of Guam - includes several divisions; US Federal District Court for the District of Guam (a US territorial court; appeals beyond this court are heard before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Embassy | None (territory of the US) |
Want to know more about Guam? Check all different factbooks for Guam below.