Solomon Islands lawmakers have selected China-friendly former diplomat Jeremiah Manele as the new prime minister of the South Pacific nation. This follows elections on April 17.

Manele won 31 votes to opposition leader Matthew Wale's 18 votes in a secret ballot of the 49 new MPs, Governor General Sir David Vunagi announced outside the parliament house on Thursday.

Police patrolled the parliamentary grounds as MPs voted inside, as Solomon Islands has seen unrest during elections in the past.

"The people have spoken," Manele said outside the parliament on Thursday, praising the fact there was no repeat of past violence.

"We have shown the world today that we are better than that."

Manele has pledged a "government of national unity" that would be focused on  improving the economy and "progress on our road to recovery" after the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this week, pro-Beijing former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare withdrew from the contest after failing to secure an election majority, paving the way for Manele to replace him as the party's candidate.

China factor

The election was closely watched by China, the US and neighboring Australia because of the potential impact on regional security.

Ex-PM Sogavare oversaw the rapid expansion of Chinese interests in  the archipelago.

In 2022, he signed a security pact with Beijing, raising alarm in the West, and harbored a deep distrust of Australia and the United States. Though the small archipelago has fewer than a million inhabitants, its waters are strategically located in the Pacific.

Opposition leader Wale has denounced the China security pact in the past and accused Sogavare of selling out Solomon Islands to keep Beijing happy.

Manele was Solomon Islands' foreign minister in 2019 when the nation severed ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China.

Meanwhile on Thursday,Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said hat he looked forward to working closely with Manele.

 "Australia and Solomon Islands are close friends and our futures are connected," he said in a statement on social media platform X.

dvv/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)