Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele says he will not step down until the motion of no-confidence filed against him is decided in parliament on May 6.
Manele, who is due to celebrate his first year in office next week, lost 10 of his members on Monday after a group led by Finance minister Manasseh Sogavare deserted him and joined the Opposition bench.
In parliament this morning, Opposition leader Matthew Wale said it would be appropriate if Manele would consider stepping down now that he’s running a minority government.
“It would be convenient if the prime minister could consider stepping down immediately and not allowing us to go through the uncertainty until Tuesday next week,” Wale told parliament.
“That way, we can proceed straight to the election of a new prime minister and not having to deal with the motion,” he added.
But in response, Manele rejected the call.
“I will not step down before May 6. I will allow the motion to be moved, debated and see how it goes,” Manele said.
Both Manele and Wale called on Solomon Islanders both in Honiara and the provinces to remain calm and allow the democratic process to take place.
The motion of no confidence would be moved by Gordon Darcy Lilo, a former prime minister and current MP for Central Honiara.
Lilo filed notice of the motion to parliament just hours after Sogavare and his group tendered their resignation to the Governor General’s Office at 1.30pm on Monday.
The group reportedly resigned over disagreements with the leadership of Bradley Tovosia, Manele’s deputy.
Tovosia was reportedly forced to resign on Monday afternoon, in what many saw as a last-ditch attempt to calm waters and restore support for Manele’s coalition.
In a statement, the Office of the Prime Minister said coalition partners unanimously resolved that the national interest must come first, and Tovosia’s resignation was made in accordance with this collective decision.
Tovosia has not spoken publicly since his resignation.
Political instability is nothing new in Solomon Islands: there have been 11 changes of prime minister this century.
Photo: Courtesy AAP