Key Takeaways
- Jeremiah Manele elected as Solomon Islands’ new PM in a 31-to-18 vote.
- Jeremiah Manele will take over the office from Manasseh Sogavare.
- Jeremiah Manele won the support of 31 members of parliament in the election.
Jeremiah Manele was elected as the new Prime Minister of Solomon Islands on Thursday, announced Governor General David Vunagi. Foreign minister Jeremiah Manele won the support of 31 members of parliament in a 31-to-18 vote.
Manele defeated opposition leader Matthew Wale in a 31-to-18 vote in the newly elected 50-seat parliament, Vunagi said following a secret ballot on Thursday morning.
One member of parliament did not participate in the vote because she could not arrive in Honiara in time due to a long distance to the capital, a source from the governing Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party (OUR Party) told Xinhua.
Manele will take over the office from Manasseh Sogavare, who announced on Monday his withdrawal from running for a new term.
