The former foreign minister wins the support of 31 lawmakers in a 50-member chamber, in an election closely watched by China, the US and Australia.
Solomon Islands lawmakers have elected former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele as their new prime minister.
Manele, who has pledged to continue the Pacific nation’s China-friendly foreign policy, won 31 votes in a secret ballot on Thursday.
His opponent, former opposition leader Matthew Wale, received 18 votes.
The vote in the 50-member parliament took place amid heightened security in the capital, Honiara, with police squads patrolling parliamentary grounds to prevent possible disturbances.
Manele, speaking outside parliament, praised the fact that there had been no repeat of past violence.
“The people have spoken,” he said. “We showed the world today that we are better than that.”
Manele’s appointment comes after a national election last month failed to win a majority from any political party. The two camps lobbied to win the support of independents in the 50-member House ahead of Thursday’s vote for prime minister.
The elections are being closely watched by China, the United States and neighboring Australia due to the potential impact on regional security after outgoing Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare signed a security pact with China in 2022.
Sogavare, who built close ties with Beijing during five years in power, did not seek re-election to the highest political post and his party supported Manele. The politician was foreign minister in 2019, when the Solomon Islands turned its back on Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with Beijing.
Manele’s OUR party, which has committed to developing the island nation’s infrastructure, won 15 seats and four seats under a renewed coalition with two micro-parties. It needed the support of independents to reach the 26 seats needed for a majority. A total of 49 votes were cast with one lawmaker absent.
Lowy Institute researcher Mihai Sora, a former Australian diplomat in the Solomon Islands, said Manele has “a strong track record of working well with all international partners”, compared to Sogavare, who was “a polarizing figure”.
Australian National University Pacific expert Graeme Smith said Manele was capable and “a great change of style” for the Solomon Islands.
Manele promised a “government of national unity” that would focus on improving the economy and “progress on our path to recovery” after the COVID-19 pandemic. He said bills on a value-added tax, the establishment of a special economic zone and rules around national resources would be high on the new government’s agenda.
Wale, the opposition leader who heads a 20-seat coalition of parties called CARE, said on Wednesday that the government had failed to create jobs and that the economy was dominated by logging and mining companies, which sent resources to China, while health clinics were unable to obtain basic medicines like paracetamol.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
