MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Solomon Islands lawmakers have elected a former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele as prime minister on Thursday in a development that suggests the South Pacific island nation will maintain close ties with China.
Manele used his first speech as head of state to promise to govern with integrity and put his nation’s interests first.
“I will carry out my duties carefully and with integrity. I will at all times put the interests of our people and our country above all other interests,” Manele said in a speech to the Solomon Islands National Parliament.
Manele won 31 votes in a secret ballot among 49 lawmakers who won the April 17 general election, Governor General David Vunagi said, while Matthew Wale, who led the opposition in the previous parliament, won the remaining 18 votes.
The withdrawal of pro-Beijing former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare from the contest to make way for Manele as his party’s candidate suggested the country could move in a similar direction.
Sogavare had hoped to become the first Solomonic prime minister to remain in power for four consecutive years after the election. During his previous term, China’s influence in the Solomon Islands increased more than anywhere else in the South Pacific.
Sogavare shifted diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing and concluded a secret security pact, raising fears that the Chinese navy could gain a foothold in the region.
In his speech, Manele also warned against any violence after the election.
“Past prime ministerial elections have been accompanied by violence and destruction. Our economy and livelihoods have suffered because of this violence,” Manele said.
“Today, however, we show the world that we are better than that. We must respect and uphold the democratic process of electing our prime minister and be an example to our children and their children,” he added.
Sogavare’s election in 2019 sparked unrest in the capital Honiara over legal issues surrounding his eligibility to be prime minister. More serious unrest led to arson and looting in Honiara in November 2021 after its leadership survived a no-confidence motion from Wale.
Unrest after the 2006 election, fueled by allegations of Chinese interference and resentment toward Chinese businessmen, led to then-Prime Minister Snyder Rini’s resignation after a week in office and Sogavare’s rise to power. It was the second of Sogavare’s four terms as prime minister.
Meg Keen, director of the Pacific Islands program at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based international policy think tank, said Manele would be a “less fiery and combative leader” for the West, but he would continue to maintain close ties with China. ”
“As a former foreign minister, he helped negotiate the security agreement with China that panicked the West. But he is also a seasoned diplomat with experience at the United Nations and in Western countries – he is no stranger to Western engagement,” Keen said.
She said Sogavare withdrew from the race because his party’s loss of several MPs in the election was evidence that voters wanted change.
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This story has corrected the prime minister’s last name to Manele.