TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Solomon Islands Governor-General David Vunagi on Thursday (May 2) said pro-China politician Jeremiah Manele has been elected Prime Minister and pledges to continue close diplomatic ties with Beijing.
Vunagi said Manele secured 31 out of 50 anonymous votes in parliament, marking the culmination of the election process, reported AFP. The election has drawn close attention from China, the U.S. Australia, and the entire South Pacific region after the current Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, signed a security agreement with China in 2022.
Manele's opponent, opposition leader Matthew Wale, received 18 votes. Wale sought to counterbalance Beijing's increasing influence in the Solomon Islands.
During the voting process, a police presence around the parliament was strengthened to prevent any recurrence of past election-related disturbances. Manele said, "The people have spoken,' and lauded the fact that the violence seen in the past did not repeat itself.
"We have shown the world today that we are better than that," he added.
Analysts believe that Manele will continue the Solomon Islands' pro-China stance, although his enthusiasm may not match that of Sogavare.
The Solomon Islands severed ties with Taiwan and established relations with China in 2019, during Manele's tenure as foreign minister.
in the Solomon Islands' recent parliamentary elections, with no party winning enough seats to govern outright. Pro-China candidate Sogavare announced his withdrawal from the race earlier this week.
Manele meanwhile vowed the “government of national unity” would focus on improving the economy and making "progress on our road to recovery" post-pandemic.
He said legislation on the value-added tax, establishment of a special economic zone, and formulation of rules for national resources would be the top priorities of the new government.
Graeme Smith, a Pacific affairs expert at the Australian National University, was cited by Reuters as saying that Manele is “capable” and will bring a "big change in style" to the island nation.
