AAP News
An emboldened Solomon Islands opposition is demanding parliament be recalled as it looks for a chance to oust Jeremiah Manele’s government.
Manele’s coalition fell apart a week ago when 12 ministers quit, leaving him without a parliamentary majority.
Rather than test his numbers in parliament, the prime minister appointed new ministers – among them four-time Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare as his deputy – and continued.
There are fears that the political impasse could also produce public disorder.
The opposition wants parliament recalled, saying the nation is facing a constitutional crisis.
Local outlet In Depth Solomons reports that an opposition MP’s home was attacked on the weekend, which the opposition has blamed on supporters of the government.
The opposition force includes ex-prime minister Darcy Gordon Lilo, Opposition Leader Matthew Wale and Peter Shanel Agovaka, who walked out as Manele’s foreign minister last week.
They claim the support of 28 MPs in the 50-seat parliament, and have called Manele’s decision not to recall parliament “intolerable and unacceptable”.
It’s the third time Manele has faced a serious political crisis in his two years as prime minister, with the Isabel-based leader surviving previous pushes.
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