Jeremiah Manele was elected as the new Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands on May 2, 2024, succeeding incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
- Manele, a former foreign minister, won 31 votes against Opposition leader Matthew Wales’ 18 votes in the 50-seat parliament.
- The national election saw Sogavare’s government lose half of its seats, prompting intense lobbying from both government and opposition parties to win support from independents.
- The election outcome was closely watched by China, the U.S., and Australia due to its potential impact on regional security, especially considering Sogavare’s controversial security pact with China in 2022.
- Manele pledged to continue the Solomon Islands’ international policy of being “friends to all and enemies to none.”
- Manele’s OUR party won 15 seats, and formed a renewed coalition with two micro parties to gain a majority in the parliament.
Question : Who was elected as the new Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands on May 2, 2024?
a) Manasseh Sogavare
b) Jeremiah Manele
c) Matthew Wales
d) Anthony Albanese
Ans : b) Jeremiah Manele
