9 Oct 2006

Solomons no-confidence vote off agenda

5:06 pm on 9 October 2006

A planned no-confidence motion against the government of the Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, may now not go ahead.

In Parliament this morning, Mr Sogavare presented an agenda with the current session ending on Wednesday.

That agenda has not allowed for the tabling of any no confidence motion in the next two days.

The motion, to be moved by the leader of the opposition Fred Fono, was scheduled to be put last Friday but Mr Fono deferred it a week amid claims that his supporters had faced threats of violence.

Mr Fono raised a point of order as to why the motion was left out of parliamentary business given that the speaker agreed to last Friday's deferral.

The speaker told parliament it is up to the business committee to decide.

The government's main aim over the next two days is to pass a supplementary budget.