Solomon Islands election count underway, China critic Suidani regains seat (updated)

Real Estate Investments Fund Fini AD in liquidation

19/04/2024 03:36

(Updates with Suidani quotes)
    By Kirsty Needham
       April 19 (Reuters) - Daniel Suidani, a prominent Solomon
Islands critic of China who was former Malaita province premier,
has been reelected to the provincial assembly, as counting
continues on Friday in the key Pacific island nation's election.
    The elections are the first since Prime Minister Manasseh
Sogavare struck a security pact with China in 2022 and drew the
Pacific Islands nation closer to Beijing, in moves that
concerned the U.S. and Australia because of the potential impact
on regional security.
    Results in national and provincial elections held in the
Solomon Islands on Wednesday are being announced over several
days, closely watched by China, the U.S. and Australia.
        Suidani, whose new political party U4C also ran
candidates in the national election, was reelected to the
Malaita provincial assembly, he confirmed to Reuters on Friday.
     As premier he had banned Chinese companies from Malaita,
the Solomon Islands' most populous province, and accepted U.S.
development aid before being ousted last year in a no confidence
vote by lawmakers for his refusal to recognise China.
    China sent its top envoy for the South Pacific to Malaita
province this month to sign a memorandum of understanding with
the new premier, Martin Fini. Fini lost his seat in the
provincial assembly, electoral officials said on Friday, which
means he would no longer be eligible to be premier.
        Suidani said his win, the ousting of the pro-China Fini
by voters, and the election of several new lawmakers to the
provincial assembly in Malaita showed that voters wanted to see
change in government.
  
        "It's a joy for all Malaitians who believe in
democracy," he said in a telephone interview, but noted that
counting was still under way and that the final numbers in the
provincial assembly were unknown.
  
        "From my point of view, what Malaita is doing at the
moment, they are trying to rescue the province from bad
leadership, corruption," he added.
  
        Johnson Osiramoa, who beat Fini as an independent
candidate, said yesterday that he would join the U4C party,
Suidani said.
  
    There is a heavy police presence outside counting centres
providing security, elections chief Jasper Highwood Anisi said.
    Police and defence forces from Australia, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea and Fiji are assisting with election security.
    The 50 members of the national parliament are elected for a
four-year term, and the seat results, which are expected to be
known by Monday, will indicate if any party has achieved a
majority, or if negotiations to form a coalition are needed
before a prime minister is selected.

 (Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Jamie Freed
and Gerry Doyle)
 ((Kirsty.Needham@thomsonreuters.com;))