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Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is facing a no-confidence vote, after he was accused of corruption and of using Chinese funds to prop up his government (Photo: AFP/File/ROBERT TAUPONGI) - 

Solomon Islands leader Manasseh Sogavare survived a vote of no confidence Monday (Dec 6), the latest battle in a decades-long career marked by deadly riots, interisland tensions, and increasingly close ties to Beijing.

The 66-year-old four-time prime minister has again showed he still has plenty of fight, refusing to yield to attempts to oust him in parliament and on the streets, where recent violent protests destroyed swathes of the capital Honiara.

The wiry former accounting student has twice been ousted in votes of no confidence, and he appeared determined not to make it three.

For two hours Sogavare thundered at his opponents on the floor of parliament, at points shaking with rage before he secured enough votes to live another day as prime minister.

"We must stand up to this tyranny," he screamed, banging his chair as he threatened opponents and vowed never to "bow down to the forces of evil".

But the son of Seventh Day Adventist missionaries faces testing days ahead.

The presence of international peacekeepers has kept a lid on violence that erupted late last month but their deployment is expected to last only weeks.

And Sogavare seems in no mood to listen to his detractors, who see a leader who has become increasingly autocratic since his latest stint in power began in 2019.

"He used to be a listening prime minister," said Transparency Solomon Islands chief executive Ruth Liloqula. "Now that's not the case."

Liloqula points to several major reforms that were pushed through without consultation, including his plan to extend the electoral term to five years and his switch in diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China.

"He is a prime minister who is actually abusing and misusing the power of the state to do as he pleases, that's the main issue people are concerned about," she told AFP.

Sogavare first became prime minister in 2000 when he was supported by rebels from Malaita, the Solomons' most populous island, which is now the wellspring of opposition to his rule.

The Solomon Islands topped a recent survey on corruption by Transparency International, with 97 per cent of respondents rating it a big problem in government.

Another survey earlier this year found 66 per cent of Solomon Islanders thought their country was heading in the wrong direction, with only 18 per cent optimistic about the future.

That is difficult terrain to navigate, even for a consummate political survivor//CNA