Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele lost a no-confidence vote 26-22, after more than a dozen ministers defected to the opposition in March and courts forced Parliament to reconvene, the Financial Times reported on May 7. Manele will remain in office until the governor general formally removes him, while lawmakers negotiate over the next government.

Manele's government maintained a pro-China bent but was also more committed to balancing ties with Washington and Canberra than the preceding government. However, his government had been weakened by coalition defections and a prolonged fight over whether Parliament would return to hear the no-confidence motion. The Solomon Islands has played an outsized role in shaping U.S.-China competition in the Pacific Ocean since Sogavare switched recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019 and signed a security pact with Beijing in 2022.