Peter M. Christian

Peter Martin Christian Souissa (born 16 October 1947) is a Micronesian politician who served as the 8th President of the Federated States of Micronesia, from 11 May 2015 to 11 May 2019.

Early life Peter Martin Christian was born October 16, 1947 in Pohnpei. He attended Xavier High School, the University of Hawaiʻi and took courses at the Honolulu Business College.

Political career He was a member of the Pohnpei State Legislature. He was elected as a senator in 2007 representing Pohnpei at-large and re-elected in 2011. He served as the Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Communication during his 2007 term in Congress.

In March 2019, Christian lost the election to become the at-large senator for Pohnpei. Under Micronesian law, the president is chosen from among the four at-large members. As a result, Christian effectively lost his bid for re-election to the presidency. Some sources attributed the loss to a scandal surrounding the indictment in Hawaii of Christian's son-in-law, Master Halbert, an official in the FSM's Department of Transportation, Communication and Infrastructure, for receiving bribes.

Christian has Moluccan blood ties. He is the third generation of a family from Haria, Maluku in Indonesia.