Jeremiah Manele facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeremiah Manele
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| Prime Minister of Solomon Islands | |
| Assumed office 2 May 2024 |
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| Monarch | |
| Governor-General |
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| Deputy | Bradley Tovosia |
| Preceded by | Manasseh Sogavare |
| Leader of OUR Party | |
| Assumed office 29 April 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Manasseh Sogavare |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 25 April 2019 – 2 May 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Manasseh Sogavare |
| Preceded by | Milner Tozaka |
| Succeeded by | Peter Shannel Agovaka |
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| Assumed office December 2014 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968 (age 56–57) Samasodu, British Solomon Islands (now in Isabel Province, Solomon Islands) |
| Political party | OUR Party (since 2019) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic Alliance Party (until 2019) |
| Alma mater | University of Papua New Guinea |
Jeremiah Manele was born in 1968. He is a politician from the Solomon Islands. He is currently the prime minister of the country. He became prime minister after the 2024 Solomon Islands general election. Mr. Manele is the first prime minister to come from Isabel Province.
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Early Life and School
Jeremiah Manele grew up in a village called Samasodu. This village is on Santa Isabel Island. He started high school at Selwyn College. This was an Anglican school in Guadalcanal. He later taught there.
He finished his final year of high school at King George VI School in Honiara. Then, he went to the University of Papua New Guinea. He studied Politics and Public Administration. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991. Later, in 1995–1996, he studied more at the University of Oxford.
Working for the Government
Jeremiah Manele started his career as a diplomat. A diplomat represents their country in other nations. He worked for the Solomon Islands at the United Nations in New York. He was a Counsellor and then in charge of the mission.
After that, he held important government jobs. He was a Permanent Secretary for different ministries. These included Development Planning and Foreign Affairs. He also worked as Secretary to the Prime Minister. He helped with a special taskforce called RAMSI.
Political Career
Jeremiah Manele was first chosen to be a Member of Parliament in 2014. He represented the Hograno-Kia-Havulei area. After this election, some political parties joined together. They formed the Solomon Islands People's Democratic Coalition. This group chose Manele to be their candidate for prime minister.
However, he did not win the vote in parliament. Manasseh Sogavare won instead. Manele received 19 votes, and Sogavare received 31 votes. Early in his time in Parliament, Manele was the leader of the opposition. This means he led the group of politicians not in power.
Later, he joined the government. He became the Minister for Development Planning and Aid Coordination. This was from 2017 to 2018. He was re-elected in the 2019 election. He continued as Minister for Development Planning.
On April 25, 2019, Manele became the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In this role, he traveled a lot. He went to Beijing to make official connections between the Solomon Islands and China. In 2022, he signed a security agreement with China. The details of this agreement were not fully known at the time.
Becoming Prime Minister
In the 2024 Solomon Islands general election, Manele won his seat again. He ran with the OUR Party. Before this, he was part of the Democratic Alliance Party. The OUR Party did not win enough seats to form a government on its own.
So, the OUR Party joined with other parties. They formed a group called the Coalition for National Unity and Transformation. On April 29, Manele became the leader of the OUR Party. This happened after Manasseh Sogavare decided not to be prime minister again.
On May 2, Manele won a secret vote in parliament for prime minister. He received 31 votes, beating Matthew Wale. That same day, the Governor-General, David Vunagi, asked him to form a government. Jeremiah Manele was then sworn in as the new prime minister.
He has said he will continue to work closely with China. This is part of the Solomon Islands' international policy. When he became prime minister, experts thought he would be a calmer leader. They believed he would still keep strong ties with China. Manele chose his cabinet members in different ceremonies. The first 11 members started their jobs on May 4. He named Bradley Tovosia as his deputy prime minister. Manasseh Sogavare became the finance minister.
Personal Life
Jeremiah Manele is married to Joycelyn. They have four daughters and two sons together.
