Backroom deals under way for Solomons PM
Backroom deals are under way in the Solomon Islands as two political camps try to get the numbers needed for their candidate to become the new prime minister in the wake of wild rioting in Honiara.
Two candidates are up for the post, former prime minister Manusseh Sogavare and former national planning minister Fred Fono.
Sogavare, a martial arts exponent who has been viewed as anti-bank under his Social Credit banner, has said there will be "clean lobbying" and no "dirty money" in the lead-up to the vote by parliament scheduled for Thursday.
Before the April 5 general election, opponents accused then prime minister Allan Kemakeza of using Taiwanese aid money to fund candidates on his side - a charge denied by Kemakeza and the Taiwanese Embassy.
Sogavare has said he will review the Solomon's diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, indicating a possible shift of recognition to mainland China.
Fono has promised an inquiry into corruption and made a priority of addressing the underlying causes of the ethnic tensions that gripped the Solomons before the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) arrived in mid-2003 to restore order.
He may be disadvantaged in the public eye by his association with the Kemakeza government - including then deputy prime minister and present caretaker Premier Snyder Rini.
Their government was widely perceived as being corrupt.
Rini's election by MPs as prime minister on April 18 sparked a riot at parliament house that soon spread to looting and arson, leading to the burning down of Chinatown as local Chinese fled in fear.
The riots were brought under control after hundreds of extra Australian and New Zealand troops and police flew into Honiara.
Rini was forced to resign last Wednesday after five of his coalition MPs led by Sogavare crossed the floor to join the opposition.
His opponents accused him of being in the pockets of Chinese businessmen.
Rini, who is still caretaker prime minister, on Monday carpeted Australian High Commissioner Patrick Cole over a leaked email from an Australian finance official suggesting Cole had tried to influence the vote for prime minister.
The finance official has been sent home.
A government source said Rini might officially ask Canberra to recall Cole but that could not be confirmed at Rini's office late on Tuesday.
This week, senior opposition member Patteson Oti tabled a motion to dissolve parliament, saying the current one was not acceptable to the people.
If Oti's motion was passed, the house would be dissolved and there would be a call for fresh elections.
"My view is that what transpired in the past fortnight is that people have made the wrong choice in electing their members of parliament.
"Let's go back to the people and give them the mandate."
Sogavare's opposition camp maintained it still had more than half of the 48 MPs required to choose a prime minister, not counting two in opposition who are out of the vote while in jail on riot-related charges.
The pair have appealed to the governor-general to allow them to vote.
© 2006
AAP
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