Unofficial election results released on Thursday (August 15) in the remote Pacific island nation of Kiribati indicated that the pro-China President Taneti Maamau has secured a seat in parliament during the first round of parliamentary elections, setting the stage for his re-election campaign.
Opposition leader Tessie Lambourne also won a seat in parliament.
The Kiribati Parliament has a total of 44 seats, and voters cast their ballots in the first round of parliamentary elections on Wednesday (August 14). Unofficial results show that due to more than ten parliamentary candidates not receiving over half of the votes, the leading competitors will once again compete in the second round of runoff elections scheduled for next Monday (August 19).
The Kiribati general election is conducted in stages, where parliament members are initially elected through up to two rounds of voting, followed by the selection of a shortlist of presidential candidates from the elected parliament members, which will then be put to a national vote by the electorate. The entire election process typically takes several months.
The Kiribati Parliament is scheduled to convene on September 13, where newly elected members will select a shortlist of presidential candidates. The next president will be determined later this year through a direct vote by the people.
Kiribati is a country with a population of 115,000 residents, most of whom live on 20 small islands and atolls threatened by rising sea levels. Despite its small size, Kiribati is considered strategically important due to its proximity to the United States’ Hawaii and its control over more than 3.5 million square kilometers (1.4 million square miles) of the Pacific Ocean.
During his tenure as president at the age of 63, Maamau led Kiribati to sever ties with Taiwan in 2019 and established relations with Beijing, hoping for economic assistance from the Chinese Communist Party to help the country overcome economic challenges.
Currently, Kiribati faces challenges of economic difficulties, currency inflation, and skyrocketing prices. According to official data cited by Agence France-Presse, Kiribati saw prices surge by over 9% last year.
Environmental concerns, such as rising sea levels caused by climate change, are also a major focus for Kiribati voters. The rising sea levels have led to the depletion of drinking water supplies, with groundwater receding to below two meters. Although desalination plants are being constructed on many islands, Kiribati residents still face a waiting period of several years to access clean drinking water.
Over the past five years, Chinese authorities have continued to exert influence in the South Pacific region, leading Kiribati and its neighboring countries, the Solomon Islands and Nauru, to sever ties with Taiwan and establish relations with Beijing. This has reduced Taiwan’s number of diplomatic allies to a historically low 12 countries.
The expanding influence of the Chinese authorities in the South Pacific region has raised concerns and alertness among the United States and its allies. Countries like the United States and Australia are worried that China not only seeks economic interests in the South Pacific but also has strategic considerations for military and security footholds.