Photo : Collected
Polls opened Tuesday in the Pacific nation Palau, which is voting in a presidential election dominated by cost-of-living worries, China meddling claims, and the expanding military footprint of the United States.
The Melanesian microstate of some 20,000 people is one of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic friends and is seen as a steadfast US supporter in a region where China has made inroads.
In the four years since coming to power, incumbent president Surangel Whipps Jr has overseen the swift expansion of US military interests across the Palauan archipelago.
His sole rival, Tommy Remengesau Jr -- also his brother-in-law -- has cautioned that drawing too close to the US could paint a target on Palau's back.
"Whipps is really supportive of the United States. He's more pro-US than some US presidents," said Pacific watcher Graeme Smith from Australian National University.
"Remengesau is far less pro-US. Although that doesn't mean that he is pro-Beijing either." Both candidates have expressed support for ongoing diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
A tropical archipelago of limestone islands and coral atolls about 800 kilometres (500 miles) east of the Philippines, the election will in large part be decided far from Palau's shores.
It has been estimated that a substantial chunk of Palau's 16,000 registered voters live overseas, mostly in the United States.
This has seen the two candidates travelling to Hawaiian golf courses, Texas pool halls, and Oregon universities in their efforts to drum up far-flung votes.
An official on Palau's electoral commission said results would be known sometime after November 12, when these absentee ballots start to trickle in.
Messenger/Disha
