Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele yesterday lost power in a no-confidence vote in the South Pacific nation’s parliament, ending months of political uncertainty.
Parliament was adjourned to allow the governor-general to make arrangements for the election of a new prime minister.
Ahead of the vote, which he lost 22 to 26, Manele strongly criticized the nation’s court for setting a “dangerous precedent” by ruling that lawmakers must meet to consider the no-confidence motion.
Photo: Reuters
His Government for National Unity and Transformation had been at an impasse since March, when it was hit by mass Cabinet resignations and the departure of two coalition partners.
An appeals court on Friday last week ruled that Manele, who had avoided the no-confidence motion for seven weeks, must convene parliament by yesterday.
The Solomon Islands has been seen as one of Beijing’s closest partners and backers in the South Pacific in the past few years, and leadership changes in the strategically located archipelago are closely watched by Western diplomats.
There was a heavy police presence around parliament as two camps of lawmakers arrived in separate buses.
The new opposition coalition of six political parties showed it commanded 27 seats as lawmakers entered the 50-seat chamber.
Former Solomon Islands minister of foreign affairs Peter Shanel Agovaka, who quit the Cabinet in March and is the frontrunner to become the next prime minister, said Manele had shown weak leadership as ministers conferred favors on business cronies.
“Here we have a group of people who are feeding themselves to the coffers,” he told parliament.
A lack of transparency included no audit reports produced for the large sums of government and donor country money spent to host the 2023 Pacific Games and last year’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting, he said.
The IMF raised concerns over accountability, lack of audit reports and the need for anti-corruption reforms in March.
With a population of 850,000, the country is 2,000km east of Australia and receives significant aid from Canberra and Beijing. Debt to China for infrastructure projects doubled last year, budget documents show.
Mihai Sora, director of research at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney, said Manele’s ousting “will probably make things more difficult for Australia,” which has sought to upgrade police ties with the Solomons to counter Beijing’s security influence.
“There’s every chance that Manele will be replaced by someone seen as more China-friendly,” he said.
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