The remote Pacific Island nation of Kiribati is set to hold a national election on Wednesday at which key issues for voters include the government’s close relationship with China, its less aggressive stance on global climate advocacy, and the pressures related to the cost of living.
Geopolitical Significance and China’s Interest
Kiribati, with 115,000 residents, is considered strategically important due to its close proximity to Hawaii and control over more than 3.5 million sq km (1.4 million sq miles) of Pacific Ocean.
President Taneti Maamau, who shifted Kiribati’s diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, has secured development support from China. However, his administration has faced international criticism, particularly due to the dismissal and deportation of an Australian-born high court judge who is married to Kiribati’s Opposition leader.
Kiribati’s political landscape features loose groupings, common among Pacific Island nations, where many candidates run individually. Voters then elect the president from a shortlist of candidates chosen by newly elected lawmakers.
This year, an audit by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association recommended that Kiribati implement campaign financing laws—currently, there is no oversight of election spending—and restore constitutional protections for free speech.
In February, Reuters reported that Chinese police had begun working in Kiribati, a sensitive issue for neighbour the United States, which signed a 1983 treaty providing for consultation before Kiribati allows third-party military use of its islands.
China’s police force donated riot control gear last month, pledging to “solidify collaboration in law enforcement and policing”, the Kiribati police said in a statement on Facebook. Meanwhile, a U.S. request to establish an embassy has been stalled.
Election Dynamics
Chloe Karea, a 27-year-old travel agent, expressed disappointment over not being able to register to vote due to identification requirements. “It’s a really important election and could be pivotal because we have a lot of activity with China. It will show the people’s opinion on what has been happening,” she said in a telephone interview.
Voting is not compulsory in Kiribati, and Wednesday’s ballot is the first of two rounds of voting for members of parliament, to be followed by the vote for president. “A lot of female candidates and lawyers have put themselves up for election,” Karea added.
Government Policies And Environmental Concerns
In 2022, Kiribati was left without a functioning appeals court system after the government suspended all three Court of Appeal judges and the chief justice.
A popular government policy of paying a monthly allowance to people of voting age who do not work, and a subsidy on the cost of copra, could win over some voters, Karea said.
The election “will let the people say if they are satisfied or not”, said Robert Karora, project manager for the Kiribati Climate Action Network. “We definitely need a change – so that climate change issues are taken seriously,” he said in a telephone interview.
Under past governments, Kiribati had been a prominent campaigner on the global stage for climate change issues, he said. Maamau’s government has backed deep sea mining, an issue that puts it at odds with environmental groups.
The Kiribati government did not respond to a request for comment.
(With Inputs from Reuters)
