BRIEF: Sikua Elected Solomons PM

HONIARA, Solomon Islands – Dr. Derek Sikua was elected Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands today.  The former opposition group, now the Coalition for National Unity and Rural Advancement (CNURA), received 32 of 47 votes cast this morning.  Sikua will be sworn in tomorrow.

Sikua has only been in parliament for a year and a half, and served as education minister in the Sogavare government before defecting in November.  He holds a Ph.D. in educational decentralization and has previously served in a variety of high positions in the ministry of education.

Fred Fono is expected to be named deputy prime minister tomorrow.

For more information, please see:

Solomon Times – New Prime Minister for Solomon Islands – 20 December 2007

Islands Business – Dr Sikua is Solomon Islands new PM – 20 December 2007

Radio New Zealand International – Solomons parliament elects Sikua as new PM– 20 December 2007

The Australian – Sikua elected new Solomons PM – 20 December 2007

National Parliament of the Solomon Islands – official website entry for Dr. Sikua

For background information on the political crisis in the Solomon Islands that led to Sikua’s election today, please see the Impunity Watch articles on last month’s defectionsthe continuing instabilitythe heated arguments, and the successful no confidence motion against the Sogavare government last week.

For more information on the Moti affair, a key element of CNURA’s argument against the Sogavare government, please see the Impunity Watch reports onMoti’s appointment as attorney general for the Solomons, PNG government involvement in Moti’s escape, the Vanuatu case statusAustralia’s extradition attempt and the missing PNG inquiry reportPNG court refusal to suppress the inquiry report, and Moti’s fear of assassination attempts.  The inquiry report itself was released to Dade on 28 September, and he found the inquiry to be illegal at the end of October.  The issue is on appeal in the PNG court system,barring public debate at this time.

Author: Impunity Watch Archive