Solomon Islands lawmakers elected longtime opposition leader Matthew Wale as the country's new prime minister in a 26-22 secret parliamentary vote, Nikkei Asia reported on May 15. Wale has been one of the country's most prominent critics of its 2022 security pact with China and previously called for it to be revoked, but after his election, Wale said he would first "look at" the pact before deciding what to do with it.

The vote followed former Prime Minister Jeremiah Manel's May 7 ouster in a no-confidence vote after more than a dozen ministers defected from his government, making Wale's election an outcome primarily brought on by coalition collapse rather than a broader national referendum on relations with China.