SYDNEY -- Kiribati citizens on Friday voted in the country's presidential election in which pro-China incumbent President Taneti Maamau is seeking a third and final term in office as geopolitical competition intensifies in the Pacific -- with a late ruling party defection adding some drama to the contest.
The 64-year-old Maamau is up against two political newcomers, both first-time members of parliament who launched their candidacies under Maamau's own ruling Tobwaan Kiribati Party (TKP).
