Personal life Lilo is originally from the village of
Ghatere on
Kolombangara island. He earned a
master's degree in development and
administration from the
Crawford School of Economics and Government at
Australian National University. Lilo's CV also includes a Postgraduate Diploma and
Bachelor of Economics received from the
University of Papua New Guinea.
Career Lilo worked as a
permanent secretary for the Ministries of Finance and of the Environment before entering politics. In November 2011, Prime Minister
Danny Philip fired Lilo, his
Finance Minister, and Central Bank Governor
Rick Hou, accusing both of undermining his government. On 16 November 2011, Lilo was elected
Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, winning a majority of the 29 of the 49 eligible members of Parliament and defeating three other rivals for the office. Former Prime Minister
Manasseh Sogavare of
East Choiseul received nine votes, MP for North Vella La Vella
Milner Tozaka received nine votes, and MP for
Gao/Bugotu Samuel Manetoali earned just two votes in parliament. Lilo was declared the winner by Governor General Sir
Frank Kabui. On 18 November, two days after his election, Lilo held his first official engagement with US ambassador to the Solomon Islands, Teddy Taylor regarding the Solomon Islands eligibility for
US Millennium Challenge Account funding. Lilo is a member of the
National Coalition for Reform and Advancement (NCRA), the same party as his predecessor, Danny Philip. The only major change was Lilo's appointment of
Rick Hou as the country's new finance minister. Lilo is a key supporter of the
Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands. Prime Minister Lilo pledged to refocus on Solomon Islands' faltering
coconut industry at the opening 48th Asian Pacific Coconut Committee (APCC) Ministerial meeting, which was held at the Mendana Hotel in
Honiara on 28 November 2011. Lilo's government (backed by the governments of
Nauru,
Tuvalu,
Vanuatu and
Timor-Leste) introduced the motion which led to the
United Nations General Assembly re-inscribing
French Polynesia on the
United Nations list of non-self-governing territories in May 2013. Lilo stated that he wished to see French Polynesia obtain
self-determination regarding its future status. The day before the vote in the General Assembly, the
Assembly of French Polynesia formally protested against the prospect of the country being re-added to the list. France denounced Solomon Islands-introduced motion as "blatant interference [and] a complete absence of respect for the democratic choice of [French] Polynesians", who had just elected a government hostile to the prospect of independence.
After Premiership Lilo lost his seat in the Parliament of the Solomon Islands in the
2014 Solomon Islands general election to his nephew
Jimson Fiau Tanangada. Lilo brought charges that Tanangada had bribed voters, resulting in a conviction and a
by-election. Tanangada's wife
Lanelle ran against Lilo in the by-election, defeating him with 2580 votes to 1593. She defeated him again in the
April 2019 elections, with 4397 votes to 4002. while Lilo was successful in standing for the
Central Honiara constituency. ==References==