FORMER Foreign Minister and Career Diplomat Jeremiah Manele was selected as the 13th prime minister of the Solomon Islands.
Manele was the foreign minister when former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare switched allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019.
The new prime minister rose to power after Sogavare announced earlier this week that he would no longer extend his term, citing media abuse that affected his family.
He endorsed Manele to replace him as the new prime ministerial candidate.
Sogavare and Manele came from the same political party and are both friendly towards China.
31 of 50 newly-elected lawmakers voted for Manele in a secret ballot on Thursday.
