by Ronald Toito’ona

Premier Michael Salini of Solomon Islands’ Central Islands Province has broken his silence following a dramatic shift in political support within his government – where the resignations of two key ministers from his executive has paved the way for a motion of no-confidence.

Speaking to In-depth Solomons late Monday, Premier Salini said there were no new developments apart from the resignations. He later issued a statement last night, and admitted that the past year in office had been a challenging one.

“It has been a rough year trying to navigate politics and ongoing instability to lead my province and people. And it was indeed an honour to serve my people,” Salini said.

His remarks came just hours after the Speaker of the Central Islands Provincial Assembly, Francis Moah, confirmed receiving a formal letter from the opposition bloc requesting the assembly to meet and deliberate on the motion.

Finance Minister Dagnal Meleha and Lands Minister Percival Vaga’a—both formerly part of Salini’s executive—have defected to the Non-Executive side. Their resignations handed the opposition a clear majority of eight out of the 13 Assembly members.

Premier Salini said he respected the decisions of his two former ministers and accepted their resignations in good faith.

“With two of my ministers sending in their resignation letters, I respect their decision as leaders and will accept their resignation.”

He also reiterated his respect for the democratic process.

“That is the democratic process and I will allow that process to continue.”

Despite the political instability, Salini expressed gratitude to his supporters and called for unity.

“I thank you all for your prayers and support during my tenure in office. There is so much work that needs to be done for our beautiful province. We must all work together to develop it into a better place for us and our people.”

This is not the first time Salini’s leadership has been tested. 

In October 2024, he came under intense political pressure when two ministers defected to the non-executive group, tipping the power balance. However, he refused to resign, pointing to a legal 12-month grace period that shields sitting premiers from a motion of no confidence.

When Speaker Moah called an emergency meeting to address the impasse and urgent budget matters, Salini and his executive boycotted the session, arguing it was not convened lawfully.

To regain control, Salini restructured his executive, removing unhappy ministers and appointing new ones—including Percival Vaga’a, who has since returned to the non-executive bloc.

Throughout this period, Salini maintained that any effort to remove him must adhere strictly to the law. He repeatedly called for unity among provincial leaders to focus on development and investment in the Central Islands.

Now that the 12-month legal shield expired last Sunday, and with the non-executive group clearly in the majority, Premier Salini’s future now rests on the outcome of the assembly meeting on June 5.