Solomon Islands Prime Minister Snyder Rini resigned on Wednesday after less than one week in power, a move which he said was for the good of the country.

Rini announced his resignation just before members of parliament were due to vote on a motion of no-confidence in him.

He said he was quitting for the good of the country, adding that the move will make "MPs come together so this country can go forward."

Rini had earlier said he was confident that he could defeat Wednesday's vote of no-confidence, although the parliament had been evenly divided with 25 MPs each for the government and opposition.
 
But later as at least five MPs crossed the floor to join the opposition ranks, he was left with no choice but to resign. However, he will remain caretaker prime minister until MPs hold a fresh election.

"I have no alternative but to tender my resignation as prime minister of the Solomon Islands," Rini told the parliament.

News of Rini's resignation was greeted with celebrations on the streets of Honiara, the capital of the country, with people cheering and driving cars down the main street honking horns.

Rini was elected prime minister in a parliamentary vote on April 18. Supporters of the opposition then took to the streets of Honiara, claiming the vote was fixed.

The protests turned into the most serious rioting and looting seen in the country since 2003, when Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific governments intervened to help end years of bloody conflict between ethnic gangs. The fighting had pushed the country, which consists of a poverty-wracked chain of islands, to the brink of collapse.

The Chinese were among the biggest victims of the recent riots. Chinatown was nearly leveled following looting and arson.

Australia, New Zealand and Fiji all sent troops and police to the Solomons last week in a bid to stop the rioting. A dusk-to-dawn curfew is now in place in Honiara as heavily armed foreign troops patrol the streets.

The government also clamped down on rioters. On Tuesday, a leading Solomon Islands member of parliament was refused bail on charges of inciting last week's riots.

Charles Dausabea, a senior member of the opposition alliance, was remanded in custody for two weeks after appearing in Honiara Magistrates' Court on charges of inciting a riot, threatening violence and intimidation.

(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2006)