Majuro (Marshall Islands): The Marshall Islands vote in a general election Monday that could fan the flames of United States-China competition for strategic advantage in the Pacific, but with about one-third of citizens barred from voting. The vote comes amidst escalating tensions between the US and China that has seen Kiribati and the Solomon Islands recently switch diplomatic allegiance to China after years of ties with US-backed Taiwan.
In the election build-up, President Hilda Heine’s US and Taiwan-aligned government has been challenged by opposition leaders keen to implement a controversial Chinese-backed investment in the country. It was the underlying cause of a vote of no confidence that nearly ousted the government in late 2018, and the parliament has been deadlocked since, with 16 members on each side. Even a small change in the parliamentary line-up could thrust the country’s 21-year diplomatic ties with Taiwan into question, fuelling China’s effort to widen its diplomatic net in the region. But as Marshall Islanders head to polls, for the first time in 40 years of independence, those who live in the United States cannot vote because of a controversial law that eliminated voting by postal absentee ballots.
