Solomon Islands will choose a prime minister on Thursday after a general election left the existing pro-China government’s future in the balance.
Lawmakers will meet in parliament to elect the Pacific nation’s leader at 9:30 am May 2 (2230 GMT May 1), Governor General David Vunagi said in a written notice on Monday.
Nominations for the top job will close Tuesday afternoon, Vunagi said.
“Long live our nation of Solomon Islands and long live our national parliament,” he wrote.
The pro-Beijing incumbent prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, retained his seat by a narrow margin in April 17 elections.
But his party fell short of an outright majority, with 15 seats secured so far in the 50-seat parliament, provisional results show.
The result forces him to woo potential coalition partners to stay at the helm.
Sogavare signed a security pact with Beijing in 2022, and has overseen the rapid expansion of Chinese interests across the archipelago.
Rival parties have expressed a desire to wind back China’s influence if they form a government.
Four opposition parties have reportedly banded together to fight for power, bringing together the three-party opposition CARE coalition with the Solomon Islands United Party.
With a combined 20 seats, according to the provisional results, they too would have to recruit other MPs for a chance to govern.
The balance of seats is held by an unpredictable collection of independents and minor parties.
Locals have a homegrown term — “grasshopper” — for the undeclared politicians who bounce around coalition talks trying to shop their vote.
Under the Solomons’ constitution, the prime minister is chosen by a secret ballot of lawmakers in parliament.
The candidate who gets an absolute majority becomes prime minister.
If the first round does not produce a clear winner, then the lowest-scoring candidates are eliminated in successive rounds.
