HONIARA, Solomon Islands: Former diplomat Jeremiah Manele was elected prime minister of Solomon Islands on Thursday, the country’s governor-general said.
The China-friendly politician defeated a rival who wanted to curb China’s reach in the Pacific nation.
Manele bagged 31 votes in a secret ballot of 50 MPs, said Governor-General David Vunagi, the climax of a national vote that will resonate in Washington, Beijing and across the South Pacific.
His opponent, longtime opposition leader Matthew Wale, could take 18 votes only.
Police patrolled the parliamentary grounds as the parliamentarians voted inside, warding off the unrest that has plagued Solomon Islands’ elections in the past.
“The people have spoken,” Manele said, praising the fact there was no repeat of past violence.
“We have shown the world today that we are better than that.”
Observers expect Manele to persevere in the archipelago nation’s recent embrace of China, albeit with less enthusiasm than his predecessor, Manasseh Sogavare.
Manele was foreign minister in 2019, when the Solomon Islands turned their backs on Taiwan and established diplomatic ties with Beijing.
Incumbent Sogavare withdrew from the election race earlier this week after failing to win an electoral majority.
Manele pledged a “government of national unity” with a focus on improving the economy and “making progress on the road to recovery” after the coronavirus pandemic.
