On Thursday, legislators in the Solomon Islands chose Jeremiah Manele to be their next prime minister, promoting the former foreign minister who promised to uphold the country’s foreign policy that brought it closer to China.In the 50-seat parliament, Governor General Sir David Vunagi declared outside parliament house that Manele had received 31 votes to opposition leader Matthew Wales’s 18 votes. The government of outgoing Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare lost half of its seats in the national election held last month, but no political party was able to win a majority. In the weeks leading up to the prime minister vote, the government and opposition parties waged a fierce campaign to win over independent voters.
As freshly elected lawmakers arrived at parliament on Thursday to cast secret ballot votes, police increased security in the nation’s capital, Honiara. China, the United States, and Australia’s neighbor all kept a close eye on the election due to its possible effects on regional security, particularly in light of Sogavare’s contentious security agreement with China in 2022. Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, expressed his excitement about collaborating closely with Manele.
“Working with you to develop China-Solomon Islands relations and deliver more benefits to our peoples” was the message posted on Facebook by the Chinese embassy. After losing a tight race for the top political post last month, Sogavare—who had developed strong ties with Beijing during his five years in office—did not run for reelection, and his party supported Manele instead. Wale’s alliance of opposition parties had opposed the introduction of Chinese law enforcement into the archipelago in 2022 and had advocated for reestablishing tighter connections with established aid providers like Australia as well as taking up infrastructure funding from the US.
