General

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

elects a national

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

, known as the

National Parliament of Solomon Islands The National Parliament of the Solomon Islands is the legislature of the Solomon Islands. Its 50 members are elected for a four-year term in 50 single-seat constituencies.

made of 50 members.

First past the post voting First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or first-preference, and the candidate with more first- ...

system is used.Electoral Act 2018 Part 2 and 4 Ballots include candidate's name, face photo, and symbol associated with their political party or being an independent.

Electoral Process

Parliament can be dissolved by a

vote of non-confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fit ...

, where an absolute majority vote in favor. Parliament is dissolved by the constitution 4 years after the first sitting of Parliament post election. Once parliament is dissolved there is a four months period for an election to be held.Solomon Islands Independence Order 1978 Ch. VI 48-74 The Electoral Commission is charged with overseeing elections. It is a nonpartisan commission made of three people proposed by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, then appointed by the governor general. Members of political parties, and current elected officials are barred from the Electoral Commission. The Chief Electoral Officer also sits on the commission but is non-voting. They are the head of the government office in charge of elections. Any bill proposed in parliament related to elections is studied and commented on by the Electoral Commission.''Constitution (Amendment) (Electoral Reform) Act 2018 3,5, and 6''

Constituencies

The Solomon Islands is split into 50 single-seat constituencies, decided by the non-partisan Constituency Boundaries Commission and approved by parliament. Made of the Surveyor-General, the head of the Government's Statistical Service and three members appointed by the Governor General. Constituency boundaries are reviewed at least every ten years, and are based on population size, ethnic groups and means of communication.

Franchise

Citizens of the Solomon Islands over the age of eighteen can vote in the constituency they live in. The exceptions to that are if they are sentenced to death or greater than 6 months imprisoned/ supervised, found of unsound mind or had their right to vote revoked by an election crime conviction.

Eligibility

To qualify in a parliamentary election a candidate must be a citizen of the Solomon Islands, be over the age of 21, not be a citizen of another country, cannot have declared bankruptcy in the Commonwealth, is not sentenced to death or more than 6 months of imprisonment/supervision, anywhere in the world, and has not been found to be of unsound mind in the Solomon Islands. The right to vote or be a candidate can be revoked if a person is convicted of an election related crime in the Solomon Islands. The original constitution required that candidates not currently hold public office, in 2018 it was updated to require candidates not have held public office in the 12 months before the nomination deadline. Anyone involved in running an election cannot also be a candidate in the election. The High Court has final say on if a member of parliament is qualified to hold office, and if any member has vacated their seat.

Political Culture

Solomon Islands has a

multi-party In political science, a multi-party system is a political system where more than two meaningfully-distinct political parties regularly run for office and win elections. Multi-party systems tend to be more common in countries using proportional r ...

system, with numerous

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone.

Parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

must work with each other to form

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

Latest Elections

References

External links

Adam Carr's Election Archive
{{Solomon Islands topics