Palau, US safety ally in Pacific, holds election By Reuters

SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Pacific Islands nation of Palau, important to the U.S. navy amid tensions with China, and amongst a dozen allies of Taiwan, holds a nationwide election for president on Tuesday.

President Surangel Whipps Jr is contesting the submit in the direction of his brother-in-law, former president Tommy Remengesau, who stood at guests intersections on Monday instantly attention-grabbing to drivers for help.

Voters might even elect 13 members of the nationwide senate.

Palau this 12 months renewed a Compact of Free Affiliation with Washington, in a deal that may see it receive $890 million in monetary assist over 20 years in return for allowing continued U.S. navy entry to its maritime zone, air space and land.

Palau’s inhabitants of 18,000 is unfold all through an archipelago that sits between the Philippines and the U.S. navy base on Guam. The U.S. navy is establishing an over-the-horizon radar on Palau, scheduled to be achieved in 2026.

Palau is one among solely 12 nations which have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Whipps has talked about China’s switch to bar vacationer groups from travelling to Palau, and a cyber assault in March, are examples of pressure from Beijing to vary ties.

To counter the autumn in Chinese language language vacationer arrivals, Palau has opened direct flights to Japan and Australia, with help from these governments.

Tax reform has emerged as an election topic, with Remengesau’s advertising marketing campaign arguing giant enterprise won’t be paying enough, and pledging tax incentives for small enterprise.

The Palau Media Council, in an announcement on Saturday, talked about it was concerned by a lawsuit filed in the direction of the Island Situations newspaper by Surangel and Sons Co, a retail and improvement agency owned by Whipps’ father, after the newspaper reported allegations circulated on social media regarding the agency’s tax funds.

The defamation lawsuit alleges the newspaper didn’t verify the social media claims, which have been false, and designed to sway voters, the president’s father talked about in various statements.

Whipps’ request for the U.S. to place in a eternal Patriot missile defend has stalled, after Palau’s Senate handed a choice rejecting it.

In the middle of the election advertising marketing campaign, Remengesau talked about that Palau should “make it possible for abroad influences don’t overshadow our id or compromise our independence”.

His advertising marketing campaign didn’t reply to questions on which abroad have an effect on he was referring to.