Palau’s incumbent president Surangel Whipps Jr has been returned for a second term after a national election held last week, according to a final tally by the Palau Election Commission.

The results showed Whipps Jr won 5,626 votes, defeating his brother-in-law Tommy Remengesau who received 4,103 votes.

Palau, which is important to the US military amid tensions with China and is among a dozen diplomatic allies of Taiwan, held a national election for president and its senate on 5 November.

“Looking ahead, I know the challenges we face are significant, but so are the opportunities,” Whipps said in a statement claiming victory on Wednesday.

His government would seek to diversify Palau’s economy while protecting its ocean and forests, he added.

Ahead of the election, voters said they were mostly concerned about the economy and a cost of living crisis. But outside Palau, the election has symbolised a growing geopolitical tussle for influence between Washington and Beijing that is playing out across the Pacific.

In the four years since coming to power, Whipps has overseen the swift expansion of US military interests across the Palauan archipelago.

Palau this year renewed a Compact of Free Association with Washington, in a deal that will see it receive $890m in economic assistance over 20 years in return for allowing continued US military access to its maritime zone, airspace and land.

Palau’s population of 18,000 is spread across an archipelago that sits between the Philippines and the US military base on Guam.

Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese congratulated Whipps Jr in a message on social media platform X on Wednesday.

“We look forward to continuing to work as friends and partners to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific,” Albanese wrote.

Taiwan president Lai Ching-te had earlier congratulated Whipps Jr in a message on social media, saying there would be greater collaboration in tourism and infrastructure.

The Melanesian microstate is one of the few remaining countries in the world that diplomatically recognises Taiwan instead of China.

With Reuters and Agence France-Presse

  • The headline of this story was amended on 14 November, 2024