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'Manasseh Damukana Sogavare' (born 1954) is the current prime minister of the Solomon Islands as a member of the People's Progressive Party. He took office on 4 May 2006. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 30 June 2000 to 17 December 2001. His party won only three seats in the December 2001 elections, but his supporters did much better in the 2006 elections.
Sogavare led the Solomon Islands Social Credit Party into a coalition to oust Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza's chosen successor Snyder Rini, but there was much disagreement about who should be its candidate for prime minister. On 18 April 2006, he received 11 of 50 votes to become prime minister, coming in third place, and then switched his support to Rini, allowing Rini to become prime minister while Sogavare became part of the coalition.
Following Rini's resignation on 26 April 2006, Sogavare decided to make another attempt to become prime minister. This time the opponents of Kemakeza and Rini united behind him, and in the 4 May parliamentary vote, he received 28 votes, defeating the government candidate Fred Fono who received 22 votes. Sogavare was immediately sworn in. His main tasks include organizing the recovery from rioting that took place during Rini's time as prime minister.
On October 11 2006, Sogavare survived a no-confidence vote in parliament; the motion, introduced by Fono, was supported by 17 members of parliament, while 28 voted against it.^[1] The no-confidence vote was prompted by deteriorating relations with Australia. Sogavare had expelled the Australian High Commissioner Patrick Cole in September and defended the Solomons' suspended attorney general, Julian Moti, whom Australia wants extradited to face child sex charges there. Moti presently faces charges in the Solomons for illegally entering the country.^[2] On October 13, Sogavare threatened to expel Australia from an assistance mission in the Solomons,^[3] and a week later Australian peacekeepers from the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands raided Sogavare's office (when he was not present) looking for evidence related to the Moti case.^[4]

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References

1. "Solomons Prime Minister Wins No-Confidence Vote", VOA News, October 11, 2006.
2. "Sogavare Survives Vote", Special Broadcasting Service (Australia), October 12, 2006.
3. "Australia-Solomons diplomatic row escalates", Gulfnews.com, October 15, 2006.
4. Phil Mercer, "Solomon Islands PM offices raided", BBC.co.uk, October 20, 2006.