Solomon Islands foreign minister quits and moves to topple PM

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka says he has been asked to lead a government takeover less than two years since Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele came to power.

Agovaka broke party lines and resigned from Cabinet on Monday night, joining a breakaway of ministers and backbenchers that kicked off on Sunday.

He told RNZ Pacific that the People's First Party (PFP) have offered him the leadership, meaning a change of government would see him become Prime Minister.

"I feel it's time, for me representing central Guadacanal, to take up that challenge to lead our country," he said.

The PFP, joined by the official Opposition, have petitioned for an extraordinary sitting of parliament.

Government House said that petition was submitted this morning, with the Governor-General now to decide on whether to call a sitting.

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele is facing a possible no-confidence vote as support in Parliament shifts. Photo/Facebook/Prime Minister's Office, Solomon Islands

Agovaka said they intend to file a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, and his Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) Party.

He believed the 12-member PFP had the numbers to form a new government with the opposition and independents, but said the situation was "fluid".

"There is a critical motion that should be dealt with immediately ... we'll just hope that our number, which is 27, holds," he said.

Current PFP leader Fredrick Kologeto told RNZ Pacific on Monday that he expected their support to rise beyond a simple majority in the Solomons' 50-seat Parliament.

Kologeto said there was a breakdown in trust between ministers and that he ultimately saw no resolution while Manele's OUR Party remained in power.

Several ministers have defected from OUR to PFP over the last year, including Finance Minister Harry Kuma and Justice Minister Clezy Rore.

Agovaka, who is now in the process of leaving OUR, called out Manele for sacking two PFP Ministers in February and replacing them with OUR members.

"I can't work with some of the ministers ... undermining the integrity of Cabinet and trying to push their own agendas," Shanel said.