Pro-China candidate wins Solomon Islands PM vote
Lawmakers in the Solomon Islands have picked a leader who is friendly with China as their prime minister. This suggests that the country will keep being close to Beijing.
Jeremiah Manele won the vote for prime minister on Thursday by 31-18 votes against his opponent Matthew Wale.
He will take over from the previous prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, who often criticised Western countries.
Manele was the foreign minister in 2019 when the Solomon Islands decided to switch their support from Taiwan to China, surprising nearby countries.
He has already said that he will continue the Solomon Islands’ strong connection with China, including their secret defence and security agreement. Some opposing candidates wanted to cancel this agreement or at least make its details public.
However, experts think that Manele will be less confrontational with Western allies like Australia compared to the previous prime minister. He’s also seen as someone who communicates more diplomatically.
Congratulations to Jeremiah Manele on his election as Prime Minister of Solomon Islands. I look forward to working closely with him. Australia and Solomon Islands are close friends and our futures are connected. 🇦🇺🇸🇧
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) May 2, 2024
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the first to congratulate Mr Manele on Wednesday saying he looked forward to working closely with the new leader.
“Australia and Solomon Islands are close friends and our futures are connected,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.