Preliminary results released by Kiribati's culture and interior ministry show that pro-Chinese President Taneti Maamau has won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, AFP reported on Thursday. The Pacific island nation of 115,000 people is of great strategic importance.
Kiribati President Taneti Maamau won easily in the Onotoa constituency, winning almost 83 percent of the vote. That puts him in a strong position to be re-elected as head of state. Opposition leader Tessie Lambourne also won her seat, winning 50 percent of the vote in her constituency.
On Wednesday, voters chose 44 seats in the 45-seat parliament. One of them is reserved for a representative of the Banaban community on Fiji's Rabi Island. There were 114 candidates on the electoral rolls, including 18 women. Parliament is scheduled to meet on September 13, when a shortlist of candidates for president will be chosen in a direct vote at the end of 2024.
Taneti MaamauMARTIN DIVISEK/PAP
The strategic country has come closer to China
Kiribati is considered a strategically located country because it is relatively close to the American Hawaii. In addition, the Pacific country has under its control over 3.5 million square kilometers of ocean.
The low-lying atoll nation is one of the most threatened in the world by rising sea levels. Citizens seeking refuge are moving to Tarawa, which has become one of the most densely populated places in the world, comparable to Tokyo. Kiribati does not have the natural resources or tourist attractions of other Pacific islands.
Kiribati is located in the Pacific Ocean Google Maps
Analysts predicted a victory for the ruling camp, which recently introduced universal unemployment benefits and increased subsidies for copra, or dried coconut pulp.
Under Maamau's leadership, Kiribati has also come closer to Chinafter breaking off diplomatic relations with in September 2019 TaiwanIn February, uniformed Chinese officers arrived in the capital of Bairiki to help train Kiribati's armed forces, according to Voice of America. In July, Chinese police gave the government riot control equipment, pledging to “strengthen law enforcement cooperation.”
Some Western analysts believe that China's steps, including deploying police to Kiribati, mapping the marine environment and building a new runway for airplanes on Kanton Island, are a starting point for Beijing to strengthen its influence in the region. In the meantime, the conclusion USA to open an embassy in Kiribati has reached a standstill.
According to the forecasts of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), despite foreign aid, including from China, budget deficit Kiribati's GDP will grow to 9.7% this year. External debt is expected to grow by almost 400% in the coming years, reaching 35% of GDP by 2029.
Main image source: MARTIN DIVISEK/PAP