BY NED GAGAHE
The country will have a new Prime Minister by Friday, May 15 next week as nominations for the election of a new Prime Minister officially opened yesterday.
Government House has confirmed issuing a formal notice for Parliament to sit next Friday to elect a new Prime Minister following the ousting of Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele in a successful Motion of No Confidence on Thursday, 7 May.
The election will take place at the National Parliament Chamber at 9:30am.
Section 33(1) of the Constitution together with Schedule 2 provides that the Prime Minister is elected by Members of Parliament from among themselves through a secret ballot.
Government House confirmed that the three-day nomination period opened at 8:00am on Friday, 8 May, and will close at 12:00pm on Sunday, 10 May 2026.
After the close of nominations, the Governor-General will circulate the full list of nominated candidates together with their nominators to all Members of Parliament.
Under the constitutional process, once a Prime Minister is elected, the successful candidate is formally appointed and sworn into office by the Governor-General before forming a government through the appointment of Cabinet Ministers from among Members of Parliament.
The coming days are expected to be politically intense as the country awaits the election of a new Prime Minister.
The nomination period is also expected to trigger intense lobbying among the two political groups as camps work to secure majority support ahead of next Friday’s vote.
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