2014 Solomon Islands General Election

General elections were held in the Solomon Islands on 19 November 2014 to determine the composition of the 10th Parliament. The election was held following the passage of the Political Parties Integrity Bill, which sought to discourage party-switching. A biometric voter registration system was introduced before the election, which removed a large number of double enrolments and deceased voters from the electoral roll. Six of the twelve parties that contested the election won seats. The Democratic Alliance emerged as the largest, winning seven. Independents, who comprised the majority of candidates, won 32 of the 50 seats in the National Parliament. Only one woman was elected. Voter turnout was a record 89%. In an upset, Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo lost his seat of Gizo/Kolombangara to his nephew Jimson Tanagada.

Following the election, two blocs emerged to attempt to form a government. The Democratic Coalition for Change (DCC) comprised the Kadere Party, the United Democratic Party (UDP) and numerous independents. The DCC nominated Manasseh Sogavare, who had previously served as prime minister two times, as its candidate for prime minister. The Solomon Islands People's Democratic Coalition (SIPDC) was made up of the Democratic Alliance, the People's Alliance, the People First Party and the Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement (SIPRA).
Jeremiah Manele, a first-term member of parliament, was the SIPDC's prime ministerial nominee. In a parliamentary vote on 9 December, Sogavare defeated Manele.

Background

2010 general election

The 2010 general election resulted in no party winning a majority of seats. Independent candidates won the most seats, while the Solomon Islands Democratic Party (SIDP) emerged as the largest party. A record 508 candidates ran in the election, the overwhelming majority of whom were independents. None of the 22 female contestants were successful.

Following the election, negotiations to form a government commenced. Two blocs announced nominees for prime minister, with SIDP Leader Steve Abana facing veteran politician and former Deputy Prime Minister Danny Philip. Abana was nominated by a bloc comprising his SIDP, the Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement (SIPRA), and the parties of outgoing Prime Minister Derek Sikua's Coalition for National Unity and Rural Advancement government. Philip was selected by a camp made up of his Reform Democratic Party, in addition to a faction of SIPRA, independents and five other parties. In a parliamentary vote on 25 August, Philip won by a narrow margin of 26 votes, defeating Abana, who received 23, while one vote was invalidated. Unlike in 2006, no unrest occurred in Honiara after the prime ministerial election. On 26 August, government MP Steve Laore died suddenly, leaving Philip's coalition at risk of losing its majority. The opposition attempted to convince government MP and former Prime Minister Snyder Rini to defect following rumours that he planned to leave the government. Philip affirmed that Rini remained in the governing coalition and appointed him as minister of national planning and aid coordination.

Resignation of Danny Philip

Amid allegations of corruption and a mismanagement of government funds, Philip resigned as prime minister on 11 November 2011, shortly before parliament was scheduled to vote on a no-confidence motion filed by Opposition Leader Derek Sikua. Three ministers had resigned the week before, stating that they had lost confidence in Philip's leadership and accused him of abusing his position. Philip also sacked Finance Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo and Public Service Minister Rick Houenipwela the day before his resignation, alleging they were undermining his government. Philip stated that he resigned in response to pressure from the public and not the opposition. Despite his resignation, Philip remained in the governing National Coalition for Rural Advancement. On 17 November, parliament elected Lilo to succeed Philip. Protests subsequently erupted outside parliament, demanding Lilo resign. While Lilo disavowed his predecessor's alleged corruption, he stated that his government was a continuation of Philip's.

Political party reform

In 2013, Lilo introduced the Political Parties Integrity Bill, which aimed to strengthen the political party system and prevent "grasshopper behaviour", the frequent party-switching of MPs. The bill also sought to encourage MPs to affiliate with a registered political party rather than be independents. The lack of MPs affiliated with a party in previous parliaments was widely viewed as a source of instability. Parties in Solomon Islands have tended to be small, personality-based and lacking clear ideologies. As a result, party membership is often fluid, with party-switching, known locally as "grass hopping", a common occurrence. In October of that year, parliament rejected the prime minister's bill. Parliament approved an amended bill, the Political Parties Integrity Act (PPIA), in June 2014 that removed the restrictions on independents. The opposition alleged that the speaker rushed the bill through parliament. A Political Parties Commission was established to oversee the act's implementation, while the Register of Political Parties would handle the amalgamation, registration and deregistration of parties. The PPIA also sought to increase women's participation in the democratic process by mandating that at least 10% of candidates fielded by a party are women. Parties that lack female members to fulfil this quota are exempt.

Electoral system

The 50 members of the National Parliament were elected in single-member constituencies via first-past-the-post voting. Candidates were required to be at least 21 years old and be residents of the constituency they contested. Individuals ineligible to be candidates included those who held dual citizenship, were executives or members of the Electoral Commission, had an undischarged bankruptcy, had been imprisoned for more than six months, or were under a death sentence.

Voters had to be at least 18 years old and hold Solomon Islands citizenship. Individuals ineligible to vote included those who had committed a breach of the electoral law, been declared insane, had served a prison sentence for at least six months or were under a death sentence. Citizens resident outside of Solomon Islands were unable to vote. Following widespread allegations that the electoral roll was incredibly bloated, Prime Minister Lilo introduced a biometric voter registration process before the election. commencing on 10 March. The enrolment process was later extended to 2 May, following flash floods. The new registration system purged the names of deceased voters and double enrollments, resulting in a sharp reduction of registrations on the electoral roll from 448,149 in 2010 to 287,562 in 2014. The Electoral Commission did not make arrangements for citizens studying abroad or individuals who would turn 18 before the election but after the registration deadline to enrol, leaving these cohorts unable to vote. Lilo also introduced voter identification cards to prevent individuals from voting multiple times.

Parties and candidates

A total of 443 candidates were nominated to contest the election, a decrease from 509 at the 2010 election. Just 26 candidates were women, comprising 6% of all contestants.
The majority of candidates were independents, while 12 registered parties contested the election.

Campaign

The campaign season began on 7 October. Significant issues included financial mismanagement and corruption. Other prominent issues were the PPIA, education and healthcare. The election occurred following large economic growth, mainly from the extractive industries, especially logging. The People First Party, led by Jimmie Rodgers, campaigned to expand the tourism industry. Rodgers believed tourism would be a viable economic substitute when the logging industry was deprived.
Prime Minister Lilo's SIPRA campaigned on its record in government and pledged to continue the economic growth. Lilo stated that SIPRA would focus on expanding the agricultural, tourism and forestry sectors. The prime minister also promised to abolish the plurality voting system. A Kadere Party candidate alleged that the party's contestants were plagued by delays in campaign funds, causing some to use their personal finances. Kadere Party President Alfred Legua denied the claims.

Conduct

The dissolution of the ninth parliament occurred on 9 September, and Governor-General Frank Kabui confirmed the election date on 11 October. On election day, polling stations were open from 7:00 to 17:00. The election was the first since the withdrawal of the military-competent of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) in 2013, with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force assuming the lead responsibility for election security. Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) claimed to have received anecdotal evidence of some candidates collecting voter ID cards. TSI Executive Daniel Fenua said candidates would return the ID cards to voters shortly before the election with some money, encouraging electors to vote in the candidates' favour. TSI and MP Manasseh Sogavare called for the government to outlaw the practice.
The Commonwealth delegation stated that the election was peaceful. An Australian observer group said the electoral process ran smoothly. After the polls closed, an election official attempted to steal a ballot box as it was being transported near the Malaitan provincial capital of Auki. The police chased the official, who dropped the box and fled into the jungle. Vote counting commenced on 20 November.

Results

Independents won 32 seats, while six parties secured parliamentary representation. The Democratic Alliance emerged as the largest party, winning seven seats. The UDP, which secured five seats, was the party that won the most votes, attaining 10%. Prime Minister Lilo lost his seat of Gizo/Kolombangara in an upset to his nephew Jimson Tanangada of the UDP. Freda Soria Comua of the People's Alliance Party was the only woman to win a seat. The sole incumbent female MP, Vika Lusibaea, who entered parliament following a 2012 by-election, lost re-election. Comua became the third woman elected to the National Parliament since independence. Voter turnout was 89%, the highest in the nation's history.

By constituency

Aftermath

With no dominant party, negotiations to form a government commenced after the election. Two blocs emerged to compete to take the reins of government. The Democratic Coalition for Change bloc (DCC) comprised the Kadere Party, the UDP and some independents. The DCC nominated Manasseh Sogavare as the bloc's prime ministerial nominee. Sogavare had served as prime minister from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2006 to 2007, when he lost a no-confidence motion. The Solomon Islands People's Democratic Coalition (SIPDC) nominated first-term MP Jeremiah Manele. The SIPDC comprised the Democratic Alliance, the People's Alliance Party, the People First Party and outgoing Prime Minister Lilo's SIPRA. On 2 December, Governor-General Kabui announced that the parliamentary vote for prime minister would be held on 9 December. Prime ministerial elections in Solomon Islands are often unpredictable, as MPs are not legally barred from switching parties. The Solomon Islands Royal Police Force increased security in Honiara and the rest of Guadalcanal in the lead-up to the vote. In the prime ministerial ballot, Sogavare won a third non-consecutive term, receiving 31 votes, while Manele received 19. The first session of the 10th Parliament occurred on 17 December. Parliament elected former Rennell and Bellona Premier Ajilon Jasper Nasiu as speaker that day. He received 27 votes, defeating former Parliamentary Clerk Taeasi Sanga, who received 23. John Moffat Fugui was elected deputy speaker. Manele became leader of the opposition.

In October 2017, nine cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Maelanga, and several backbenchers defected from the governing coalition. The group claimed Sogavare had ceased consulting cabinet ministers on policy issues and that he was listening more to "outsiders". The defectors also claimed the coalition had strayed from its initial goals and expressed concern about Sogavare's chief of staff and nephew, Robson Djokovic's alleged undue influence. Sogavare lost a no-confidence motion on 6 November, with 27 MPs voting for and 23 against. Sogavare claimed supporters of the motion were motivated by "deliberate lies" and that he was being removed for standing up "against corruption and corrupt leaders". On 16 November, parliament elected Rick Houenipwela as prime minister, defeating John Moffat Fugui.

References

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