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HONIARA - Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has avoided a vote of no confidence in his leadership after the motion was withdrawn on the floor of parliament today.
The mover of the motion, opposition MP Edward Huniehu, elected to withdraw it until a court case against him and Speaker Peter Kenilorea, which is related to the no-confidence vote, is resolved.
In anticipation of the vote, security was stepped up around Parliament House in Honiara by Solomons police and members of the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
In a bid to avoid the no-confidence vote, Sogavare and his controversial new attorney-general Julian Moti earlier this week initiated legal action against Kenilorea and Huniehu.
They are scheduled to appear in court next week, accused of breaching parliamentary rules in filing and accepting the motion.
In parliament today, Kenilorea's insistence that the vote could go ahead angered government politicians.
They said if the vote did go ahead, Kenilorea should leave the house and let the deputy speaker take over.
But Huniehu elected to withdraw the motion.
Political tensions have been high in Honiara in the build-up to the expected vote.
Opposition Leader Fred Fono was last week charged with bribing a government MP to change sides.
He has denied the charge and was granted name suppression in the Solomons.
The opposition opposes the appointment of Moti, who is wanted in Australia to face child sex charges.
It also opposes the appointment of Fijian police officer Jahir Khan as Solomons police commissioner and government plans to re-arm Solomons police.
Sogavare was elected prime minister in May last year, only days after destructive riots in Honiara sparked by the election of Snyder Rini as prime minister.
Rini was forced to step down when he lost the numbers in parliament.
- AAP
