Pictured is Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare
The results of the Solomon Islands election were announced, and the Youhua faction won a narrow victory, but the final result is still uncertain.
The Solomon Islands' parliamentary election has attracted much media attention in the United States and Australia, and it is self-evident for obvious reasons, as it is the first general election in the Solomon Islands since the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 2019. The current Prime Minister, Sogavare is considered a "pro-China faction" by the West, and he pushed for the Solomon Islands to sign a framework agreement on security cooperation with China. During the election campaign, Sogavare did not shy away from saying bluntly that if he was elected, he would continue to promote cooperation with China.
Peter Kenilorea, one of the candidates of the opposition party, said that if he is elected, he will not only end security cooperation with China, but also restore relations with the Taiwan authorities. It can be said that this parliamentary election has a bearing on the direction of the Solomon Islands' foreign strategy.
The picture shows the ballot papers in the Solomon Islands
Judging from the results so far, Sogavare won a narrow victory, and his "Our Party" won 15 of the 50 seats in the parliament, making it the party with the most seats in this election. The "anti-China" Peter and his coalition party won only seven seats, which also shows that their foreign policy ideas are not popular with voters.
Despite the small victory of the Youhua faction, the election also created a more delicate situation. Since no party won more than half of the seats in the election, it is up to who will be in power to determine the game that follows. There will be fierce bargaining between the parties, and it remains to be seen who will be able to secure more than 26 seats and form a coalition. We cannot completely rule out the possibility of an opposition coalition coming to power and a change in relations between China and China.
Pictured is the Solomon Islands
In addition to domestic political games, the intervention and influence of major powers in the Solomon Islands is a major source of uncertainty. The Solomon Islands was originally a British colony and only became independent in 1978. Due to its geographical proximity, Australia has long exerted great influence over the Solomon Islands.
Not only is Australia the largest aid provider to the Solomon Islands, it is also a dominant contributor to security issues. In the late 90s, the Solomon Islands was mired in civil unrest, and Australia sent peacekeeping troops to the country for 14 years. Due to its poor economic foundation and weak foundation, the Solomon Islands has never had its own army. In 2021, riots broke out again in the Solomon Islands, and Prime Minister Sogavare could only turn to Australia for help. It can be said that the influence of Australia in the country is everywhere.
Sogavare's cooperation with China is aimed at obtaining more opportunities for economic development, and on the other hand, it is also aimed at strengthening the country's own security forces and better maintaining domestic order. Although the Solomon Islands has repeatedly stressed the need to continue to develop relations with Australia, the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and China still makes Australia a great enemy. Many people in Australia's strategic circles even said that the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and China was "the biggest diplomatic defeat" since the end of World War II.
Pictured is the Prime Minister of Australia
Australia has strongly emphasized that it can guarantee the security of the Solomon Islands, arguing that it has no need to cooperate with China or build up its own military. But it completely ignores a country's desire for self-reliance. At the end of the day, Australia still doesn't want the Solomon Islands to get out of its control.
In this election, the media in the United States and Australia spared no effort to hype up Sogavare's foreign policy and encourage pro-Western forces in the country. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation even directly attacked Sogavare himself, calling him a "dictator" and accusing him of "opacity" in his decision-making process.
This has actually become a Western routine. Leaders of some small and medium-sized countries who advocate cooperation with China are often labeled negatively by the Western media. In the event of a change of leadership, there will also be a reversal of the country's China policy. Under such political pressure, some political leaders do not dare to promote or participate in cooperation with China. Such "stigma" has happened in the Philippines as well as in Sri Lanka. Where will the Solomon Islands go this time?