HONIARA: A prominent Solomon Islands critic of China, the ousted former governor of Malaita province Daniel Suidani, has been reelected, local media reported on Friday ( Apr 19 ), as counting continues in an election being closely watched by China, the US and Australia.
The Solomon Islands ‘ initial results are expected to be announced on Friday, as tallying continues over the weekend.
The first federal election since Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and China signed a security agreement in 2022, which brought the Pacific Islands region closer to Beijing, in concerns for the US and Australia because of the possible impact on regional stability.
Suidani, whose new political party U4C even ran individuals in the national vote, was reelected to the Malaita municipal assembly, regional broadcaster SIBC reported on Friday night.
Before being ousted in a low confidence vote next year, he had banned Chinese businesses from Malaita, the most populous state in the Solomon Islands, and had accepted US advancement help.
Suidani has much suspected that China was behind the scenes in the planning of his treatment.
The provincial government of Suidani blocked telecoms giant Huawei from constructing the island’s urgently needed cell phone towers because it was so concerned about China’s influence.
As elections rolled into full swing, Suidani told AFP earlier this week,” That is very concerning- the influence of the ( Chinese Communist Party ) in this country.”