The new Solomon Islands parliament meets today to elect a new prime minister to replace Sir Allan Kemakeza who served for more than four years.
Three candidates have emerged from the backroom lobbying.
They are the former Deputy Prime Mnister Snyder Rini; a former prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare; and Joe Duddley Tausinga who won his seat unopposed.
Our correspondent in Honiara Dorothy Wickham says it appears that Mr Rini is claiming the support of thirty MPs in the 50-seat house.
"This grouping is being pulled together by the People's ALliance Party - with five MPs they claim. And then there's the Lafari party - claiming five as well. And then you have the Association of Independent Members of Parliament, AIM they call themselves, and they are claiming twenty. So basically that's thirty, and as you know, in our system you need a simple majority of 26."
