Solomon Islands: Jeremiah Manele is New Prime Minister

The parliament of the Solomon Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean east of Australia and Papua New Guinea, has chosen Jeremiah Manele as the new prime minister.

Manele is considered close to the Chinese position. This ensures some continuity with former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. The new head of government was heading the Foreign Ministry when Solomon Islands severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2019 and moved closer to China, with which it signed a security agreement in 2022.

The Solomon Islands are in the part of the Pacific Ocean where China’s confrontation with the West, particularly Australia and the USA, is taking place. The April 17 parliamentary elections did not reveal a clear winner. A way out of the political impasse was found: parliament elected Manele by 31 votes to 18 for Opposition Leader Matthew Wale.

“I will fulfill my duties diligently and conscientiously. I will always put the interests of our people and country above all other interests,” Manele said, as reported by ChinaDaily.com.cn. “The last election of Prime Minister was accompanied by violence and destruction. As a result, the economy has suffered, and incomes went into a freefall. However, today we are showing the world that we are better than that. We must respect and support the democratic process of electing a prime minister.”

In this island nation in Oceania with a population of less than 800,000, the last election was accompanied by unrest. In 2000, Prime Minister Bart Ulufa’alu was forced to resign following a kidnapping, and in 2006, the election of Snyder Rini as prime minister provoked riots in the capital Honiara, which were quelled by Australian troops. These forces were later declared “undesirable” by the new Prime Minister Sogavare.