Kiribati election: Pro-China government facing test of voters

In an election that could hold profound implications, thousands of voters headed to the polls in Kiribati this week following a turbulent period of strained relations with Pacific neighbours, tensions with traditional allies and a continuing constitutional crisis.

The first round of voting in the country's general election started on Wednesday with a second round to be held next Monday.

Local investigative journalist Rimon Rimon says many significant issues are set to influence voters in this election.

Speaking from the capital Tarawa on Wednesday, Rimon told Pacific Mornings' William Terite that these issues included the soaring cost of living, healthcare, welfare benefits, and climate change, among other things.

i-Kiribati people head to the polls. Photo/supplied

Kiribati is located some 4700km north of New Zealand with a population of just over 130,000.

The low-lying Micronesian atoll is one of the most vulnerable islands to the effects of the climate crisis including sea-level rise.

While there is optimism in the air, it's the state of the economy that's on voters' minds, Rimon said.

"There's been a lot of excitement. With the build-up of this at the dawn of the new year, people knew that there was going to be change when Christmas came, if you know what I mean.

"And now we've come to that, it's D-Day, and so people are quite pumped up. They're hyped, you know, they don't do this every day where they decide on these kinds of very important things.

"There's a mixture of excitement and, it's like on game day when you're not sure, and especially with the candidates because whatever they've been doing or saying, ultimately it's the people's choice at the end of the day, and whether they make it true or not, they'll have to accept that, and that's part of democracy and how it works.

Out of the 114 candidates vying for a seat in the House of Assembly, 18 are women, with 10 of them standing in the populated South Tarawa district.

Up to a dozen Chinese police officers are in Kiribati. Photo/China foreign ministry

This is the second election to be held since Kiribati switched allegiance to China from Taiwan in September 2019.

Earlier, Taiwan had lost six diplomatic allies to Beijing including the Solomon Islands which signed a security pact with the Chinese in 2022.

As President Taneti Maamau seeks to extend his term in the Office of Te Beretitenti, the presence of China's influence in Kiribati is becoming increasingly evident.

The United States and its allies have raised their concerns about Beijing's push in the Indo-Pacific region but with Kiribati, Washington is keeping a very close eye on Tarawa because it is close to the US state of Hawai'i.

Chinese police are seen patrolling the streets of Tarawa, and Rimon said that there was no explanation from the government on what the foreign security personnel were doing in the country.

"We have more than 10 Chinese police officers in Kiribati. Now I've tried to get information about them. It's quite hard, it's very secretive.

"But the few police officers that I spoke to who wish not to be shown said they were helping with the training, providing martial arts training, defence, self-defence, and all these things.

"I think they understand that their presence is raising eyebrows. I mean Australian and New Zealand federal police are a common sight here, and nothing to raise any eyebrows because we have ongoing programmes since independence with these countries, especially New Zealand.

"So seeing New Zealand police in uniform here walking around, people know they're here to help in a certain way, perhaps build capacity or provide assistance.

"But the Chinese police, they're the new kids in town, and people are asking, 'Why do we need Chinese police officers here?' These are the questions that need to be answered or looked into.

"And it doesn't help when your government doesn't provide any information on what they're doing here. So people are usually in the dark and those trying to poke their nose in it are often told off and to mind your own business.

"It is our business because this is our island, this is our country of course, and we have a new force of presence and so that calls for some worries or concerns."

Maamau will know if his people agree with his decisions when parliament votes for the president in September.

First-round results are expected to be released late on Friday.

Watch Kiribati investigative journalist Rimon Rimon's full interview below.