In pro-US ‘democracy’ Marshall Islands where 1 in 3 can’t vote, the Hong Kong model and Chinese investment have their fans
- Around 1 in 3 Marshall Island citizens will be unable to vote in their looming election, because of a law even the Supreme Court says is unconstitutional
- That may be enough to keep pro-US president Hilda Heine in power, despite signs that American influence is waning
Imagine a democracy where one in three citizens cannot decide who gets to rule their country.
Where citizens fleeing nuclear radiation and rising sea levels have been forced from their homes and must cast their votes by post.
Where a government spotting a political advantage strips them of the right to do so with a law that is ruled unconstitutional by the highest court of the land, yet will continue to be implemented anyway.
Sound like a dystopian vision of the future? Wrong, it’s the Marshall Islands today.
As the country prepares for a general election on November 18, the latest twist in a months-long legal battle looks likely to prevent a third of citizens from casting their ballots.
That is the upshot of a Supreme Court ruling in October regarding a 2016 law that stripped non-resident citizens of their right to postal votes. While the court ruled that the law was unconstitutional and could not be applied to future elections, it also decided it was too late to force the implementation of postal votes for this month’s polls.