John Dean Kuku has regained his North New Georgia Constituency seat in the Western Province – setting him up for his third consecutive term in parliament.
Kuku has been Leader of the Independent Group in Parliament in the last House. He contested as a Solomon Islands Democratic Party (SIDP) candidate in this year’s election.
He beat Nanette Tutua, the only candidate who challenged him for the seat in the April 17 polls.
“The results accurately reflect the will of the people,” Western Province’s Returning Officer Hendrick Reuben announced at provincial capital Gizo this afternoon.
A teacher by profession, Kuku first entered parliament in November 2014 under the banner of Kadere Party.
He was appointed Minister for Public Service, a portfolio he held until August 2017 when he was moved to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development.
Kuku retained his seat in the 2019 election and was reappointed to the Education portfolio by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
But he was amongst those Sogavare sacked for refusing to support the China switch in September 2019.
He became a member of the Opposition bench, but later moved to head the Independent Group in Parliament.
Kuku shot to fame last year when he challenged in court the Sogavare Government’s decision to extend the life of parliament by an extra eight months.
Although he failed in his legal bid, Kuku’s decision to challenge the infamous government decision raised his political profile to a new level.
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