Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Solomon Islands could have a new prime minister next week.
The court of appeal has ordered the current prime minister Jeremiah Manele to call Parliament by the 7th of May to face a motion-of-no-confidence in his leadership.
The court dismissed Mr Manele’s appeal against Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer’s earlier ruling to that effect.
Appeal court Judges Sir Gibbs Salika, Howard Lawry, Gina Nott delivered their ruling this afternoon in the High Court precinct in Honiara amid a heightened police presence.
The ruling is the latest in a series of court cases following Manele’s refusal to call parliament after mass defections from his coalition government in March.
Speaking to local media outside the court the lawyer representing the opposition group Gabriel Suri welcomed the ruling.
“The court of appeal ruled that the prime minister must take all necessary steps before the 7th of May to call parliament,” Suri said.
The attorney general John Muria Jr expressed disappointment in the ruling, but told Solomon Business Magazine the court had spoken.
“I still yet have to go through the whole judgement and then advise the prime minister on what (are) the appropriate steps to take,” John Muria Jr said.
Potential end to political impasse in sight
The ruling brings the country one step closer to a potential resolution of a drawn out political impasse which began in March after a mass resignation of government ministers and MPs.
Now in a new coalition of parties withing the opposition the group claims to have the support of 27MPs in the 50 seat parliament.
However its attempts to convert that numerical superiority into a transition to power have been thwarted so far with prime minister Jeremiah Manele refusing to call parliament and face a leadership vote on the floor.
In ruling on a judicial review brought earlier this month by the new coalition against Manele’s refusal to call a sitting, the Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer stated that the Prime Minister was under a “constitutional duty” to ensure a motion of no confidence was brought before Parliament at the earliest opportunity and that not doing so is “unlawful”.
Sir Albert also said if the prime minister failed to call parliament the Governor-General can call Parliament, and the Speaker is ordered to ensure the motion of no confidence is prioritised.
Who could become the next PM?
The new coalition whose leaders have referred to themselves as the government in waiting have yet to publicly nominate someone from their ranks as the next prime minister.
This decision could make or break the alliance on internal loyalties alone.
So far only the former foreign minister Peter Shanel Agovaka has publicly stated his desire for the top job telling RNZ Pacific in March that [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/589832/solomon-islands-foreign-minister-quits-joins-opposition-to-lead-government-takeover-bid it had been offered to him in exchange for his resignation from government.
However, the leader of the largest party within the new coalition is Frederick Koloqeto and it was his 12-member party’s departure from government that meant Jeremiah Manele lost his majority in parliament.
There are also at least two former prime ministers within the new coalition namely Gordon Darcy Lilo and Rick Hounipwela and of course the Leader of the Opposition Matthew Wale.
The choice of prime ministerial candidates has been the bane of political parties seeking to form government in the Solomon Islands because no MP is legally tied to a political party and can jump ship at a moment’s notice.
It is also worth mentioning that the new coalition group which had maintained the support of 28 MPs for several weeks saw a crack in its solidarity on Sunday when the MP for South New Georgia Rendova and Tetepare, David Gina, joined government and was sworn in as the minister for rural development.
David Gina, standing third from left in the front row, was pictured with the opposition bloc in March. He has now defected to join the government.
Photo: Supplied/Office of the Leader of the Opposition
Anything can happen
Even if the new coalition puts forward a prime ministerial candidate and parliament is finally called there are still several potential outcomes for the current political impasse.
The motion-of-no-confidence is conducted by secret ballot and the nomination of prime ministerial candidates can be made on the floor so with a 27-23 split it would take just a few absetentions and judas votes to sway the outcome either way.
And of course between now and Tuesday, Manele could still woo enough MPs unhappy with the prime ministerial candidate that emerges or how potential future ministerial portfolios are being divvied up within the new coalition and regain his majority.
For now the only certainty is that Manele has been ordered to call parliament on Tuesday, and the country’s leadership is on the line.
Meanwhile, police have called for calm while the democratic process runs its course.
