A boat being used to transport politicians in Solomon Islands was damaged by gunshots just hours before a parliamentary vote to choose a new prime minister. <\/p>\n
Solomon Islands held a national election almost three weeks ago and two main factions have been competing for the loyalties of MPs. <\/p>\n
Parliamentarians aligned with Manasseh Sogavare had been taken to a resort near Honiara on Monday in an effort to stop them defecting before Tuesday's leadership vote. <\/p>\n
Police Commissioner Frank Prendergast confirmed the boat was damaged by gunshots early on Tuesday morning. <\/p>\n
The politicians were not on the boat at the time and no-one was injured, he said. <\/p>\n
Police would not give details about the extent of the damage to the vessel. <\/p>\n
The boat did make it back to the capital Honiara in time for the parliamentary vote on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
Manasseh Sogavare won the vote 31 to 19, becoming prime minister for the third time. <\/p>\n
The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force has formed a joint taskforce with the Participating Police Force (PPF) and is giving high priority to the investigation. <\/p>\n
The PPF is part of the Australian-led Regional Assistant Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), which has spent $2.6 billion over the last decade to help restore law and order after ethnic violence. <\/p>\n
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Boat used to transport MPs shot at before Solomon Islands vote<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A boat being used to transport politicians in Solomon Islands was damaged by gunshots just hours before a parliamentary vote to choose a new prime minister. Solomon Islands held a national election almost three weeks ago and two main factions have been competing for the loyalties of MPs. Parliamentarians aligned with Manasseh Sogavare had been taken to a resort near Honiara on Monday in an effort to stop them defecting before Tuesday's leadership vote Continue reading