Bejing’s Hold on Solomons Uncertain After Pro-CCP Prime Minister Resigns

It is likely that Manasseh Sogavare’s successor will maintain a pro-Beijing stance.

People walk past a derelict building in the Chinatown district of Honiara, the Solomon Islands capital, on April 16, 2024. Saeed KHAN/Getty Images

After an inconclusive election, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has withdrawn from the race to lead the country, attributing his defeat to Western foreign influence.

At a post-election press conference on April 29, Mr. Sogavare claimed his government had come “under pressure from the United States and [its] Western allies” and had been “accused of many things.” Despite his party, Ownership Unity and Responsibility (OUR), fielding 43 candidates in the election, won only 15 seats of the 50-seat parliament.