Solomon Islands' lawmakers elected China-friendly former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele as prime minister on Thursday, choosing him over an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing's reach in the Pacific nation.
According to Governor-General David Vunagi, Manele won 31 votes in a secret ballot of 50 MPs, the climax of a national election that will resonate in Beijing, Washington and across the South Pacific.
His opponent, democratic reformer and longtime opposition leader Matthew Wale, received 18 votes.