Solomon Islands - Politics

Solomon Islands’ politics has been characterised by fluid coalitions. Until 1997, two political coalition parties were predominant: the Solomon Islands National Unity, Reconciliation and Progressive Party (SINURP) led by Solomon Mamaloni, and the National Coalition Partners (NCP).

At the 1993 elections, the NCP coalition came to power under the leadership of Francis Billy Hilly, who became prime minister. However, he resigned in November 1994 when he was no longer able to command a majority and was succeeded by SINURP’s leader, Solomon Mamaloni.

During this period of Mamaloni’s leadership, the economy remained precarious, despite good growth in exports. At the next general election in August 1997, his main challenge came from Bartholomew Ulufa’alu, leading a new group, the Alliance for Change, comprising several small parties and independents. The new coalition won, and Ulufa’alu became prime minister on 27 August 1997.

In July 1998, while parliament was in recess, Ulufa’alu dismissed Finance Minister Manasseh Sogavare and brought two members of the opposition Group for National Security and Advancement into the cabinet. Sogavare then led a group of six MPs to join the opposition, and though he could barely command a majority in parliament, Ulufa’alu appeared determined to continue in government.

In the latter part of 1998, growing intercommunal tensions in Guadalcanal Province erupted into violence. The indigenous people of Guadalcanal were concerned about continuing settlement on the island of large numbers of Solomon Islanders from other islands and especially from Malaita, who dominated the national public service and the private sector in the capital, Honiara, located in Guadalcanal.

During 1999 the violence intensified and many thousands of Malaitans (including many long-standing residents of Guadalcanal) were driven to take refuge in Honiara or return to Malaita. In June a state of emergency was declared and, at the government’s request, the Commonwealth Secretary-General sent Sitiveni Rabuka, former prime minister of Fiji Islands, to broker a peace deal. Agreement was reached on restoring peace and on the longer-term achievement of a more equitable ethnic balance in the national public service and the police force. A Commonwealth peace-monitoring group was to be provided.

Following further unrest, in August 1999 Rabuka brokered a new peace agreement (known as the Panatina Agreement) which included a reduction in police presence in Guadalcanal Province with effect from mid-August. In September 1999 the state of emergency was ended and in October a Commonwealth peace-monitoring group began supervision of the handover of arms by the militants.

However, ethnic unrest continued into 2000, led by opposing militia – Malaita Eagle Force and Isatabu Freedom Movement. In June 2000 Malaita Eagle Force took the prime minister and governor-general captive and compelled the prime minister to resign. When it was able to convene a quorum of members on an Australian warship, parliament elected Manasseh Sogavare as prime minister and he formed a new government.

With the support of the Australian and New Zealand Governments, the warring militia and the national and provincial governments engaged in a peace process leading in October 2000 to the signing of a peace agreement in Townsville, Australia. This provided for a general amnesty for all members and former members of the militia on the condition that they hand in their arms within a given timeframe, and economic development of the island of Malaita. Former militia members were to be involved in the collection of arms and the return of law and order, and an international monitoring team was to supervise the handover of arms.

Sporadic outbreaks of violence continued. Another peace agreement was concluded in February 2001 but still there were armed militia at large and many weapons remained in the hands of former militia members. Though it had to be postponed from August to December 2001, a general election was nevertheless held and the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was heavily defeated, retaining only three seats, and only 19 members of the previous parliament held their seats. The People’s Alliance Party, led by former deputy prime minister Sir Allan Kemakeza, won 20 seats and the Solomon Islands Alliance for Change (SIAC) 12. Kemakeza formed a coalition with the Association of Independent Members (AIM) led by Snyder Rini (finance minister in the PPP government), and Kemakeza was elected prime minister by parliament.

In June 2003 Kemakeza, with the unanimous approval of parliament and the support of regional leaders, accepted Australia’s offer to lead an international intervention force to restore law and order. The force of some 2,200 soldiers and police from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu, began operations in July 2003. Its first priority was to disarm the various militias and restore order. By 2005 the force had been reduced to a few hundred.

In the April 2006 election, with a Commonwealth observer group present, 16 members of the government lost their seats. Kemakeza retained his seat but his People’s Alliance Party was much reduced while Snyder Rini’s AIM did well, with 13 newly elected members. Rini was subsequently elected prime minister by the new parliament. Rioting then broke out and a large portion of Chinatown in Honiara was destroyed by fire. In the same month Rini stood down when he no longer had the support of the majority of members of parliament and early in May 2006 parliament elected Manasseh Sogavare (leader of the Social Credit Party) as prime minister.

Sogavare was ousted in December 2007 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence, which was precipitated by the defection in November of nine government ministers. The leader of the recently established Coalition for National Unity and Rural Advancement, and education minister in the Sogavare administration, Derek Sikua, became prime minister.

In the fourth round of voting, in June 2009, parliament elected Frank Kabui to succeed Sir Nathaniel Waena as governor-general with effect from July.