The atmosphere in Kiribati is “very calm” and “the hype is not as it is in other countries”, a local I-Kiribati resident says.

People in the Micronesia nation are casting their ballots in the first round of voting today.

Polling stations opened at 7am NZ time.

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• Other Kiribati reports

There are 115 candidates contesting for 44 parliamentary seats — 97 males and 18 females. The 45th seat is nominated by the Banaban community, majority of who live on the island of Rabi in Fiji.

A local resident in the capital Tarawa, Robert Karoro, told RNZ Pacific via email last night the election was an “important moment” for people of Micronesian nation.

But he said the polls in his country were different compared to other democracies in the world “because of the nature and culture of the people of Kiribati”.

“People of Kiribati are very respectful and respecting each other as candidates is common practice here.”

Candidates unopposed
He said three islands currently have already confirmed their MPs because the candidates stood unopposed.

The ruling Tobwaan Kiribati Party (TKP) is in the lead as three out of the four candidates from the three islands are from the incumbent government.

He said the outcome of the election “will be determined by those casting their votes and electing the leaders for the next four years”.

As for parties, Karoro said voters will have a clearer picture after the first round of voting concludes this evening.

The capital South Tarawa (TUC), which is part of Tarawa, has 23 candidates — the highest ever so far, he added.

The voting will close at 6pm.

‘Women have power’
A former Kiribati journalist is one of the 18 women candidates vying of a seat in Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament).

Kairao Bauea is making her political debut standing for Kiribati’s largest electorate, South Tarawa, BenarNews reports.

Bauea, 47, is advocating for a greater role for women in politics and believes she is ready to step up to a bigger household beyond her home — the parliament of Kiribati.

“Women have power, perhaps not ‘manpower’, but the power to change things for the better,” she was quoted as saying according to the BenarNews report.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.