Solomon Islands national election count begins, closely watched by US, China

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Counting began on Thursday in the Solomon Islands following a national election, with electoral officials seeking a larger venue in the Pacific Island capital.

Counting was underway on Thursday in the Solomon Islands after a national election a day earlier, although electoral officials said they were searching for a larger venue in the Pacific Island capital Honiara to count votes. The parliamentary election is the first since Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare struck a security pact with China in 2022 and drew the Pacific Islands nation closer to Beijing.

Electoral chief Jasper Highwood Anisi said in a livestreamed press conference on Thursday that results would start to be announced on Friday, with most results known by Sunday evening or Monday morning. Counting in Honiara had been delayed as electoral officials sought a larger venue with appropriate security for a counting center, he said. There was a heavy police presence outside counting centers nationwide, he added.

The Solomons has had a volatile history, with anti-government riots in 2021 and earlier inter-tribal violence. Sogavare, running as leader of the Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party, has said he would seek closer ties to China. Opposition parties have criticized the security pact with China, and say voters are focused on struggling health services, education and roads.

 

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