Solomon Islands holds elections amid warnings on US intervention
Amid media reports on possible US intervention, the Solomon Islands on Wednesday held its pivotal general elections, which are under close watch beyond the South Pacific as it is believed the election results could have an impact on regional dynamics.
Chinese analysts said that no matter who wins the election, the country should be cautious of foreign intervention, as the US might orchestrate unrest of a “color revolution” nature to prevent incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare from being reelected.
Sogavare was elected as prime minister in 2019 and has pledged to deepen cooperation with China further if he gets reelected, according to media report.
The results could take weeks to come out due to the country’s landscape: The ballots must be collected from scattered islands and then wait for the country’s 50 members of parliament (MPs) to form a government before they choose the next prime minister.
Chen Hong, executive director at the Asia Pacific Studies Center of East China Normal University, said that Solomon Islands voters prioritize domestic affairs such as education, health and people’s livelihoods rather than power politics.
The Pacific Island country, through close cooperation with China, has realized tangible progress in those areas, as well as better infrastructure and greater social stability, Chen said.
Anti-government riots took place in the Solomon Islands in 2021 with the US and the island of Taiwan being found to lurk behind.
The West has been cultivating local agency under the guise of “democracy promotion,” and the US has a variety of conventional methods to tighten control in Pacific Island countries, namely to deploy its military stationed in the region, mobilize local people to carry out subversion, impose economic sanctions, or use the Pacific Islands Forum to besiege the so-called disobedient countries, Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries of Liaocheng University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.