Solomon Islands’ current Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, announced on Monday (29th) that he will not seek re-election as a candidate when the new prime minister is elected in parliament this week. His party has nominated the current Foreign Minister, Jeremiah Manele, as the new candidate.
The nomination for the prime ministerial candidate will end on Tuesday afternoon. 50 elected members of parliament will vote for the new prime minister on Thursday morning, May 2nd.
According to media reports, Sogavare barely retained his own seat in the parliamentary elections held on the 17th of this month. However, preliminary results indicate that his party, “Our Party” (OUR), only won 15 of the 50 parliamentary seats, a decrease of over half from the previous 37 seats, failing to secure an absolute majority.
Negotiations to form a coalition government are expected to be underway.
Two major opposition parties reached an alliance agreement last Saturday to strive for forming a government in the absence of any party with an absolute majority. They are working to gain the support of independent candidates to reach the 26 seats required to form a government.
The opposition parties criticized Sogavare for inviting Chinese police into the Solomon Islands and neglecting domestic concerns such as healthcare and education.
During his tenure, Sogavare cut ties with Taiwan and established relations with Beijing, signing a controversial secret security agreement with the Chinese Communist Party and implementing policies to distance himself from the United States. His pro-China stance has been seen as the catalyst for public protests. In 2021, the Solomon Islands witnessed anti-government riots, with a significant amount of buildings in the capital, Honiara, being burnt down, and Sogavare’s residence was also set on fire.
Located in the southwest Pacific, the Solomon Islands lie between Australia and Hawaii. Given that the election results will determine whether the Solomon Islands will continue to deepen its relationship with Beijing, it will have profound implications for the regional security landscape. Regional countries including China, Japan, the United States, and Australia are closely monitoring the election results.
The Solomon Islands Parliament operates on a unicameral system, where the National Parliament, consisting of 50 members, is the supreme legislative body, with a term of four years. The new Prime Minister of the government will be elected by the newly elected members of parliament.