The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Honiara

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no confidence Thursday, an AFP reporter in the Pacific island nation witnessed.

Sogavare, who had tried to delay the motion through legal action, said he accepted the 25-22 vote against him.

"Parliament voted me in and parliament voted me out," Sogavare said.

Before the vote, the prime minister was offered the chance to resign but refused.

Sogavare had gone to court earlier in the week seeking to delay the parliamentary session when it became obvious his position was tenuous following the defection of nine government ministers.

However, a High Court judge Wednesday dismissed the government challenge to the December 13 vote as "frivolous and vexatious", paving the way for the no confidence motion to go ahead.