Kiribati,officially the Republic of Kiribati,is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census,with more than half living on Tarawa atoll. The state comprises 32 atolls and one remote raised coral island,Banaba. Its total land area is 811 km2 (313 sq mi) dispersed over 3,441,810 km2 (1,328,890 sq mi) of ocean.
The islands which now form the Republic of Kiribati have been inhabited for at least seven hundred years,and possibly much longer. The initial Austronesian peoples’population,which remains the overwhelming majority today,was visited by Polynesian and Melanesian invaders before the first European sailors visited the islands in the 17th century. For much of the subsequent period,the main island chain,the Gilbert Islands,was ruled as part of the British Empire. The country gained its independence in 1979 and has since been known as Kiribati.
Anote Tong is an I-Kiribati politician for the Pillars of Truth party and environmental activist with half Chinese heritage,who served as the fourth president of Kiribati,from 2003 to 2016. He won the election in July 2003 with a slim plurality of votes cast (47.4%) against his older brother,Harry Tong (43.5%) and the private lawyer Banuera Berina (9.1%). The elections were contested by the opposition,due to allegations of electoral fraud but the High Court of Tarawa had confirmed that there was no fraud. He was re-elected on 17 October 2007 for a second term (64%). In 2012,Tong was reelected for a third term,although with a significantly smaller percentage than in the previous two elections.
Teburoro Tito is an I-Kiribati politician and diplomat who served as the third president of Kiribati from 1994 to 2003.
The president of Kiribati is the head of state and head of government of Kiribati.
Oceania is,to the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China,a stage for continuous diplomatic competition. The PRC dictates that no state can have diplomatic relations with both the PRC and the ROC. As of 2024,eleven states in Oceania have diplomatic relations with the PRC,and three have diplomatic relations with the ROC. These numbers fluctuate as Pacific Island nations re-evaluate their foreign policies,and occasionally shift diplomatic recognition between Beijing and Taipei. The issue of which "Chinese" government to recognize has become a central theme in the elections of numerous Pacific island nations,and has led to several votes of no-confidence.
The Republic of Kiribati and the People's Republic of China (PRC) established diplomatic relations on June 25,1980,and resumed on September 27,2019. Between 2003 and 2019,The government of Kiribati recognized the Republic of China,and,in accordance with the "One China" policy,the People's Republic of China did not have diplomatic relations to the country.
The Cabinet of Kiribati is the cabinet of the government of the Republic of Kiribati.
Dr. Harry Tong,is an I-Kiribati politician with Chinese heritage. He was born in Tabuaeran,Line Islands and is the second child of Chinese immigrant Tong Ting Hai and Nei Keke Randolph,of Abaiang and Maiana. Harry Tong attended Wanganui Collegiate School in New Zealand,and then went on to complete his medical training at the Fiji School of Medicine.
The Tarawa Climate Change Conference (TCCC),was held in the Republic of Kiribati from 9 to 10 November 2010. The purpose of the conference was to support the initiative of the President of Kiribati,Anote Tong,to hold a consultative forum between vulnerable states and their partners with a view of creating an enabling environment for multi-party negotiations under the auspices of the UNFCCC. The conference was the successor event to the Climate Vulnerable Forum held in November 2009 in the Maldives,when eleven climate vulnerable countries signed the Bandos Island declaration pledging to show moral leadership and commence greening their economies by voluntarily committing to achieving carbon neutrality. Based on the lessons learned in the COP process,the TCCC proposed a more inclusive format of consultations,involving key partners among major developed and developing nations.
Parliamentary elections were held in Kiribati on 21 and 28 October 2011. In the first round,exactly half of the 44 members of parliament were elected,with the remainder chosen in the proceeding run-off elections. 30 candidates were reelected,and four government ministers lost their seats. One seat had to go to a third round of elections due to two candidates tying in the second round. In the third round,Jacob Teem defended his seat against Rutio Bangao with just 27 votes difference.
Tessie Eria Lambourne is an I-Kiribati civil servant,diplomat and politician. She has been a member of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) since April 2020. She was formerly Kiribati's Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan) from June 2018 to September 2019 and Secretary to the Cabinet,the highest position in Kiribati's civil service,from August 2016 until June 2018.
Parliamentary elections were held in Kiribati in 2020 to elect members of the House of Assembly. The elections were originally planned on 7 April 2020,with a second round of voting to be held on 15 April 2020. However,in late March the Electoral Commission changed the voting date to 14 April 2020,with a second round on 21 April 2020.
Banuera Berina is a lawyer and a politician from Kiribati,representing Kuria in the House of Assembly. He was the opposition candidate in the 2020 Kiribati presidential election.
A presidential election was held in Kiribati on 22 June 2020. Incumbent President Taneti Maamau of the Tobwaan Kiribati Party was re-elected with 59% of the vote. The election occurred after the parliamentary election,which happened in April.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI) is a government ministry of Kiribati. The Minister is the President of Kiribati since its creation.
The Ministry of Environment,Lands and Agricultural Development is a government ministry of Kiribati,headquartered in Bikenibeu,South Tarawa.
Kiribati-Taiwan relations refers to relations between Kiribati and Taiwan. Kiribati,under the government of President Taneti Mamau,initially recognised the ROC but switched to PRC later on.
Parliamentary elections are being held in Kiribati on 14 August 2024,with a second round to be held on 19 August.
