of the Northern Mariana Islands. A 1975 editorial in the Palauan newspaper Tia Belau criticized Tmetuchl's new position, calling it "out of tune" with local opinion. Since 1974, rumors spread around the islands that the Palauan government was going to build a superport on Palau. Environmental groups such as the Save Palau Organization opposed this superport and believed that supporting separate status would stop the proposed superport. On March 15, 1976, Tmetuchl and fellow politician Sadang Silmai traveled to Tehran, Iran to meet with officials from the National Iranian Tanker Company and Nissho-Iwai Company to assure them that they could secure a superport on Palau. Tmetuchl ultimately rejected the superport idea by November 1976. From 1976 to 1978 Tmetuchl acquired several American advisers: Stuart Beck served as a legal counselor to the Palau Political Status Commission (PPSC), William Brophy became Tmetuchl's political adviser, Thomas Gladwin became an unpaid consultant, and John Kenneth Galbraith became an unpaid adviser to the PPSC. Tmetuchl and the PPSC attended the United Nations Trusteeship Council in July 1976, and then flew to Washington, DC to discuss Palauan separate status negotiations. Groups supporting Palauan unification with other Micronesian districts petitioned the government to expel Tmetuchl from his senate seat. On February 25, 1978, the senate of the Congress of Micronesia voted to censure and expel Tmetuchl from his position. In April 1978, he signed the Statement of Agreed Principles for Free Association in Hilo, Hawaii. The Palauan House of Chiefs declared that Tmetuchl had "acted outside the ambit of his authority and responsibility." However, Tmetuchl declared that most Palauans agreed with his actions. The ensuing referendum showed that 88% of the island's voters favored separatist status. Presidential campaigns Tmetuchl ran for president of Palau in 1980 and lost to Remeliik. Tmetuchl stopped supporting the Compact of Free Association and used his power in the senate to oppose Remeliik's administration. He became governor of Airai in January 1981 and acted as a negotiator in three workers' strikes against Remeliik's administration. Tmetuchl ran for president again in 1984 against incumbent Remeliik and Ibedul Gibbons, but lost again to Remeliik. Remeliik was shot and murdered in 1985. Olbedabel cast suspicion of the murder on Tmetuchl's nephew, preventing Tmetuchl from running for president in August 1985. He again ran for president in the 1988 elections which was conducted under a plurality voting system. He received 26% of the vote, or