Solomon Islands Foreign Minister quits, joins opposition to lead government takeover bid

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka says he has been asked to lead a government takeover less than two years since Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele came to power.

Agovaka broke party lines and resigned from Cabinet on Monday night, joining a breakaway of ministers and backbenchers that kicked off on Sunday.

He told RNZ Pacific that the People's First Party (PFP) have offered him the leadership, meaning a change of government would see him become Prime Minister.

"I feel it's time, for me representing central Guadacanal, to take up that challenge to lead our country," he said.

The PFP, joined by the official Opposition, have petitioned for an extraordinary sitting of parliament.

Government House said that petition was submitted this morning, with the Governor-General now to decide on whether to call a sitting.

Agovaka said they intend to file a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, and his Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) Party.

He believed the 12-member PFP had the numbers to form a new government with the opposition and independents, but said the situation was "fluid".

"There is a critical motion that should be dealt with immediately ... we'll just hope that our number, which is 27, holds," he said.

Current PFP leader Fredrick Kologeto told RNZ Pacific on Monday that he expected their support to rise beyond a simple majority in the Solomons' 50-seat Parliament.

Kologeto said there was a breakdown in trust between ministers and that he ultimately saw no resolution while Manele's OUR Party remained in power.

Several ministers have defected from OUR to PFP over the last year, including Finance Minister Harry Kuma and Justice Minister Clezy Rore.

Agovaka, who is now in the process of leaving OUR, called out Manele for sacking two PFP Ministers in February and replacing them with OUR members.

"I can't work with some of the ministers ... undermining the integrity of Cabinet and trying to push their own agendas," Shanel said.

He said the PFP have yet to offer portfolios to other Ministers, but said that opposition leader Matthew Wale, who leads the Democratic Party, would be invited into a new Cabinet.

"There [will be] a coalition between the opposition, independents, and People First ... if we come through that, then we can start sitting down and looking at the portfolios," Agovaka said.

"We look forward to this change of regime."

Meanwhile, the SIBC reported that notice of a motion of no confidence was received on Monday.

The motion can be moved and debated once a seven-day notice period ends, and when the Prime Minister convenes Parliament.

Government House has confirmed recieving a petition from opposition MPs for the Governor-General to order an extraordinary sitting of parliament to debate the motion.

The Prime Minister's Office declined RNZ Pacific's request for comment.