Kiribati elects pro-China President for a third term

Kiribati President Taneti Maamau has been re-elected for a third time after voters across the Micronesian nation returned for the popular vote last Friday.

The 64-year-old defeated two other candidates in an election closely monitored by Pacific island neighbours and international partners around the world.

Kiribati President Taneti Maamau and his wife Teiraeng Tentoa Maamau attend a thanksgiving church service in his Onotoa Constituency on Saturday. Photo/SDA Kiribati

The presidential vote came two months after the i-Kiribati people chose their 44 representatives for the 46-member Parliament in the general election in August. One other MP is nominated from Rabi Island and the other is an ex-officio member (the Attorney-General).

Since the August election, MPs and a Speaker have been sworn in and lobbying and campaigns were held behind the scenes leading up to Friday's vote.

MPs - not the people - get to nominate candidates for the presidency in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu, House of Assembly, according to Kiribati electoral rules.

At least three candidates and not more than four people are allowed to contest the presidential elections. Once the names are finalised, i-Kiribati voters then return to the polling stations to elect their leader.

Watch President Taneti Maamau is greeted by party members as he arrives in the capital Tarawa from his home in Onotoa.

The presidential election followed a turbulent period of strained relations with Pacific neighbours, tensions with traditional allies, and a continuing constitutional crisis.

Maamau won 55 per cent of the popular vote, while his nearest challenger, Kaotitaaake Kokoria, won 42 per cent of the ballots cast, according to media reports.

Kokoria caused a stir last week when he defected from Maamau's camp to stand against the incumbent president.

Kiribati’s chief justice, Tetiro Semilota, declared Maamau the winner following the announcement of the results on Friday night.

Kiribati is one of several Pacific Island countries that relies on foreign aid. The cost of living, climate change, and strong relations with China were key issues leading up to the presidential election.

Among the first to congratulate Maamau was his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping who said Beijing and Tarawa were "good friends, good partners, and good brothers".

The August general election saw 44 MPs voted into Parliament for the next four years. Photo/Rimon Rimon

Maamau severed ties with China following his election victory in September 2019 and since then, both countries have increased their political mutual trust, fruitful practical cooperation, and close people-to-people and sub-national exchanges.

Chinese media reported Xi saying on Sunday that both China and Kiribati always understood and supported each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns.

The reports added that the Chinese leader said he would like to continue to work with Maamau to "promote the steady and long-term development of bilateral ties to bring more benefits to the people of the two countries".

Located 4700km north of New Zealand, Kiribati has a population of 131,000 people with 52,941 of them registered voters (74 per cent), according to a government report in 2022.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has conveyed Aotearoa's message to Maamau.

"Warm congratulations to President Maamau on the Kiribati election results," Luxon wrote on X.

"We look forward to working with the Government of Kiribati to deliver on our shared priorities."

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters also congratulated Maamau.

"Best wishes to President Maamau on your re-election. We look forward to working with you to continue strengthening the warm relationship between Kiribati and New Zealand," he also wrote on X.

Since switching his country's allegiance from Taiwan to China, Mamaau has not been popular with the United States and its allies.

But his landslide victory in the Onotoa Constituency, during the August general election, paved the way for his return to government this week.

That's not all. The parliament is dominated by Maamau's ruling Tobwaan Kiribati Party with 34 out of the 45 MPs elected in TKP's ranks.

Three of the four presidential candidates considered for the office of Te Beretitenti were considered "dummies" because they were either from Maamau's constituency or friends of the TKP.

The first sitting of parliament was held last month after the MPs were sworn in and a Speaker elected. He is Willie Tokataake, former minister for Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy, who lost his seat in the August election.

The Kiribati Parliament (Maneaba ni Maungatabu, House of Assembly) at Ambo, Tarawa, where the nomination of the country's candidates for president was held. Photo/Maneaba

Of the 17 new MPs, five are women - a record for the Pacific island nation. Ruta Teretia Babo-Nemta, of Maiana, and Ruth Cross Kwansing, of Tarawa, are among them.

Babo-Nemta, 35, campaigned under the TKP while Kwansing, 45, stood as an Independent in the election. But Kwansing has since joined the TKP, saying Mamaau's vision for Kiribati aligns with her plans.

Kiribati is among the low-lying Pacific islands threatened by sea-level rise.

A United Nations general assembly held a special session recently as experts warned rising sea levels meant the disappearance of many atolls.

i-Kiribati climate advocates say the ocean around the Pacific island nation has been infected - steadily encroaching, contaminating underground wells, and leeching salt into the soil.

They say residents affected can't survive since the water changed after the sea level rises. The freshwater crisis is one of many threats the islanders face including extreme and regular flooding, frequent coastal erosion, and persistent food and water insecurity.

Opposition leader Tessie Lambourne is in Australia and has been approached for comment. She has warned that Kiribati is becoming a one-party state and that i-Kiribati have been denied their right to have a Beretitenti, or President, of their choosing.

Lambourne, who has been seen as the only credible alternative to Maamau, was blocked by the Maneaba, or parliament, from contesting the presidential election.