Surangel Whipps Jr in Rarotonga. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Lydia Lewis
A Palau Election Commission (PEC) spokesperson says it's highly unlikely President Surangel Whipps Jr will lose the election.
Official results for the US territory's presidential election are yet to be declared.
Unofficial results show President Whipps ahead of former four-term President Tommy Remengesau Jr by more than 1000 votes, with around 1600 votes yet to be counted.
Read more:
As of Thursday afternoon, local time, Whipps had 4343 votes, while Remengesau had 3106.
These numbers do not include walk in votes and absentee ballots.
There are 2000 absentee ballots and 435 have come in so far, according to the owner of local media outlet TMC Palau, Ngewakl Isacc Soaladov.
Soaladov, who is also contracting to the PEC, told RNZ Pacific that Whipps has a mountable lead.
"Unless by some miracle nobody voted for the current president [in absentee ballot], that is the only way we can see it happening," he said.
"But by every metric, yeah, there's no way that the [others contesting for] President and the Vice President (roles) can catch up"
When asked how likely a swing in direction would be when all the votes come in, this was his response: "Very unlikely. Very, very unlikely."
An official result is set to take some time, with absentee ballots to be recounted on 12 November, followed by a declaration expected seven days later on the 19th.
'Most pro US country'
On the re-election of Donald Trump, Soaladov said Whipps has said in the past he would work with both the Republicans and the Democrats.
"This is probably the most pro-US country in Pacific," Soaladov said.
He added that it really doesn't matter who is in the White House, as Palau issues are touted as bipartisan.
"We have had several visits from congressmen from the US, and they have all assured us that regardless of which party wins, Palau will be a bipartisan issue."
Media freedom
Meanwhile, Soaladov has been in the media game since 2016, when TMC Palau started, and said the defamation lawsuit against the Island Times newspaper by Whipps' father is the first "attack against media" on the island.
He said the government in past had been working on giving the press more freedom, "hence the passing of the Open Government Act".
But to Soaladov, the latest law suite stops momentum in press freedom gains, and at the moment, looks like a wall being built between the press and government.
"We are concerned at what this might start, because we have seen what happens around the world," Soaladov said.
"Right now, we enjoy the freedom of the press in Palau, and so we are happy that we are able to express those freedoms.
"But we do see this as a possible linchpin that may start that kind of rhetoric in Palau.
"We've seen it all where people start calling the media fake and all these things and we are concerned that Palau may go in the way of the rest of the world, but we are standing together."
For now Soaladov and his team is focused on election coverage.
"We try to be respectful that it's end of the election, but we will be pursuing some of the answers to these questions next week," he added.
He said an official position of the national government is needed on the matter.
