Government and Politics of Solomon Islands

Government Type

parliamentary democracy tending toward anarchy

Administrative Divisions

9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western

Legal System

English common law, which is widely disregarded

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Solomon Islands dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Executive Branch

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022), represented by Governor General Sir David Tiva KAPU (since 7 July 2024) head of government: Prime Minister Jeremiah MANELE (since 2 May 2024); Deputy Prime Minister Bradley TOVOSIA (since May 2024) cabinet: Cabinet consists of members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament

Legislative Branch

unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held 5 April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP 20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents 18

Judicial Branch

Court of Appeal

Political Parties

Association of Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change Coalition or SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU] note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions

Head of State

Queen Elizabeth II

Head of Government

Prime Minister Derek Sikua

Cabinet

Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament

Elections

the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years (eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament

Constitution

7-Jul-78

Independence

7 July 1978 (from UK)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

International Organization Participation

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands

Capital City

Honiara

Location

9 26 S, 159 57 E

Time Difference

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

History

the name derives from "nagho ni ara," which in one of the Guadalcanal languages roughly translates as "facing the eastern wind"

The U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea provides assistance for U.S. citizens in Solomon Islands. There is a U.S. Consular Agent in Honiara. The Consular Agent provides general information and applications and can provide limited emergency services. The United States Consular Agency in Honiara is located on Commonwealth Avenue, Point Cruz, telephone (677) 23426, (677) 98367, (677) 94731, or (677) 22539; e-mail ConsularPortMoresby@state.gov. U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Courier Service Address: Douglas Street, adjacent to the Bank of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Mailing Address: PO Box 1492, Port Moresby, N.C.D. 121, Papua New Guinea Telephone number: (675) 321-1455 After hours duty officer telephone number for American Citizen emergencies: (675) 7200-9439 E-mail: ConsularPortMoresby@state.gov

Military Branches

no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police Force