Manasseh Sogavare's party won 12 seats, six others still have an uncertain result, but will not achieve a majority. Rival factions aim to reduce Beijing's influence. On the eve of the vote, there were moments of tension and clashes between rival villages. Negotiations to form the Executive could last weeks.
Honiara (/Agencies) – Setback at the polls for the outgoing (pro-Beijing) prime minister of the Solomon Islands who, according to the first data, will not be able to reach an absolute majority and will be forced to expand the coalition to retain power . The provisional results of the current vote broadcast by public television show that Manasseh Sogavare's Our Party has obtained 12 seats and 6 remain to be assigned, but undoubtedly well below the majority, out of the total of 50 seats that make up Parliament. .
The negotiations that will lead to the formation of the new government coalition resulting from the national elections will be closely followed from outside, especially by Beijing, which has recently strengthened its ties with Honiara for control of the South Pacific. Sogavare signed a security pact with the dragon in 2022 and has overseen – and personally backed – the rapid expansion of Chinese interests in the archipelago.
Its two main rival parties – which have 12 seats – have expressed their intention to reduce China's influence if they enter the Executive. The rest of the seats are divided between minor parties and independent politicians, with unpredictable decisions. The inhabitants of the islands describe many of them as “grasshoppers” because they “jump” from one party and one leader to another, trying to sell their seat – and their support – to the highest bidder.
Historically, elections have generated moments of tension in the Islands and on this occasion there were also (moderate) episodes of violence. Indeed, over the weekend the police forcibly quelled a confrontation between two villages on the island of Malaita, which had broken out precisely over electoral issues. A group of men caused damage to a “water fountain, a church building and some houses” in a nearby village because the vote did not have the result they expected. In the coming days, politicians with common interests will begin meeting in “camps” based in Honiara's casinos and hotels to try to form a government majority. The process could take days or even weeks until the name of the new prime minister emerges.
Located 1,600 kilometers northeast of Australia, the Solomon Islands have a population of around 700,000 inhabitants, spread over six main islands: Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Makira, Malaita, New Georgia and Saint Elizabeth. Sogavare first came to power in 2000 and stayed for 17 months. He returned to office in 2006 for 18 months and was then elected in 2014, but did not complete his four-year term due to a no-confidence vote. In 2021, when anti-government riots broke out, the Prime Minister was forced to call for Australian security forces to intervene to restore order.
