Former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele has been elected prime minister of the Solomon Islands by the legislature.
According to Al Jazeera, Mr. Manele, who has vowed to maintain the Pacific nation’s China-friendly foreign policy, received 31 votes in today’s secret ballot.
This Indo-Pacific development occurs months after the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, elected a prime minister who is firmly in favor of China.
In contrast, veteran opposition leader Matthew Wale, who was his opponent, received eighteen votes.
The vote in the 50-member parliament took place amid heightened security in the capital, Honiara, with squadrons of police patrolling the parliamentary grounds to ward off potential unrest.
Mr Manele, speaking outside the parliament, praised the fact there was no repeat of past violence.
Notably, Mr Manele’s appointment as the country’s new Prime Minister comes after a national election last month failed to deliver a majority to any political party.
The election, when it took place, were closely watched by China, the United States and neighbouring Australia because of the potential impact on regional security after outgoing Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare struck a security pact with China in 2022.
Prime Minister Sogavare, during his 5-year tenure, had built close ties with China but did not seek re-election to the top political office.
However, his party had throughout maintained a strong support for Mr Manele. The politician was foreign minister in 2019 when the Solomon Islands turned its back on Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with Beijing, according to Al Jazeera.
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