Solomons PM vote countdown begins

Military and police forces in the Solomon Islands are preparing for a major
operation on Wednesday when the tiny Pacific country learns who will be the next
prime minister and government.
The Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) is on
full alert to stop any repeat of rioting and looting seen after the unpopular
announcement of prime minister Snyder Rini in 2006.
The 2003 deployment of RAMSI restored law and order after years of ethnic tension
and fighting but while Honiara is calm Solomon's politics remains volatile and
unpredictable.
Solomon's Police Commissioner Peter Marshall said he was not expecting a repeat of
previous troubles.
"The operation is another stage in a six-week plan for the election period," he said.
"There is absolutely no evidence of tensions."
A public holiday has been announced for Wednesday and citizens have been told they
can not enter the parliament house where the vote to decide the prime minister takes
place.
A full ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol will be enforced by police.
The next Solomon Islands prime minister will be either Danny Philip or Steve Abana -
a contest that will go down to the wire on Wednesday morning when the 50 elected MPs
vote in a special parliamentary sitting.
Mr Abana, planning and aid co-ordination minister in the outgoing government, is
leader of the party that won the most number of seats, 11.
Veteran politician Mr Philip also says his camp has the numbers to win government.
The Solomons went to the polls on August 4, but the following weeks of lobbying is
referred to as the "second election," with candidates seen as "grasshoppers",
switching sides to seek the best deal to form a coalition government.
Candidates' shifting support raises concerns about vote-buying and corruption
allegations, which were behind the violence seen in 2006.
Another piece in the Solomons political puzzle is Opposition Leader Manasseh
Sogavare, who has twice been the country's prime minister, first in 2000 after a
coup and from 2006 to 2007.
Mr Sogavare, who spent a great deal of time during his second term as prime minister
attacking Australia and the RAMSI model, confirmed on Tuesday he had switched
support to Mr Abana.