Voters in Kiribati go to the polls to elect a new parliament.
176 candidates are contesting the 40 seats.
The new MPs will then nominate candidates for the presidency which will be decided in a vote in parliament in January.
The lead-up to the election has been marked by controversy over the opposition's use of the national crest on pamphlets.
An opposition spokesman says two days ago, police went to the opposition leader's house in a considerable force with intent to arrest him before discovering he wasn't in.
