Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands exhibits mid-range performance across all categories of the Global State of Democracy framework. The country falls within the top 25 per cent of the world’s countries with regard to Free Political Parties, Freedom of Religion and Judicial Independence. At the same time, it is among the bottom 25 per cent in the world when it comes to Local Democracy, Direct Democracy and Gender Equality. Over the last five years, it has made significant advances in Access to Justice and Gender Equality. The country’s economy is driven by the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries, although over 80 per cent of the population relies on subsistence agriculture. The archipelago consists of 992 islands, with two-thirds of the population living on the largest islands of Malaita and Guadalcanal. Seventy-five per cent of the islands’ people live in rural areas. Solomon Islands also has the lowest per capita income in the Pacific Region.
The ‘British Solomon Islands Protectorate’ was established in 1893, although European presence and exertion of power had begun by the beginning of the nineteenth century. After approximately two decades of struggle, the country was granted independence in 1978. The population is largely indigenous Melanesian, with small Chinese, European, Micronesian and Polynesian minorities. Between 1998 and 2003, the country suffered from a low-intensity civil conflict known as “The Tensions” in which 200 died, 20,000 were displaced, and rape, gender-based violence, and other human rights violations were widespread. The conflict was fueled by various intercommunal grievances, ethnic tensions, economic precarity, and contested inter-island migration. International peacekeepers departed finally in 2013, but intermittent violence has continued, pointing to unresolved issues over power-sharing and disagreements over peacebuilding processes. Issues related to land ownership, the unequal distribution of economic opportunities across the islands and youth frustration over the lack of employment opportunities persist.
Clientelist politics have also been a key driver of poor governance. Public dissatisfaction with and mistrust in the legitimacy of elections, the lack of a strong party system, issues with transparency and corruption in public affairs and social tensions over growing Chinese influence have led to sporadic anti-government riots , . Geopolitics has also impacted political cleavages, with riots erupting in 2021 when the government switched its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, exacerbating tensions between the central government and Malaita, which had received extensive support from Taipei.
Despite recent gains, Gender Equality remains weak in the country: patriarchal customary law is exempt from constitutional anti-discrimination measures and only three of fifty parliamentarians are women. Moreover, the country has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch how the new relationship with China impacts politics in the Solomon Islands, especially as the country remains a site of geopolitical contestation between China and Australia and the United States. The increased influence of foreign powers may also have significant consequences for the internal security of the country and may impact independence demands from the poverty-stricken and under-resourced island of Malaita. The country is also at increasingly high-risk to rising seas and more powerful tropical storms due to climate change
Last Updated: June 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
October 2024
Former provincial leader arrested and charged over 2021 protests
On 3 October, Solomon Islands police arrested and charged the former premier of the Malaita province Daniel Suidani and his advisor Celsus Talifilu with instigating unlawful assemblies and protests in the province capital Auki in November 2021. Suidani has been an open critic of the Solomon Islands’ political cooperation with China, and in 2023 was prevented from taking a seat in the Malaita Provincial Assembly because of his refusal to publicly stand behind the central government’s decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. While protests in Malaita remained peaceful, at the time protesters who travelled to the capital of Honiara stormed parliament and set several buildings and businesses on fire. Suidani claims he is being charged due to his openly critical view of the government’s switch of diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. Suidani’s escalating conflict with the central government is potentially volatile, given his popularity in Malaita and the strong sense of the island being overlooked or slighted by the national government in Guadalcanal that has periodically erupted into violence.
Sources: Radio New Zealand, BBC, In Depth Solomons, Solomon Business Online
April 2024
Manele succeeds Sogavare as Prime Minister
The Solomon Islands held a general election on 17 April in which incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s OUR Party secured a plurality with 15 of 50 seats in parliament. Sogavare announced during coalition-building negotiations that he would not seek another term and resign as the head of his party in favour of Jeremiah Manele, who then secured sufficient support from the 21 independent MPs to win the secret-ballot parliamentary nomination for prime minister on 2 May. While international observers focused on the role of China in the election -as Sogavare switched recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019 -, locally economic concerns were paramount. Zero women were elected to parliament, down from four in the previous sitting. Turnout was 82 per cent, up from 68 per cent in the 2019 elections. Elections were originally planned for 2023, but Sogavare had claimed that the country could not hold an election and host the Pacific Games in the same year.
Sources: al Jazeera, Reuters, Solomon Islands Election Commission
Increased voter turnout for parliamentary election
Solomon Islands general elections saw a decrease in women's representation in parliament and an increase in voter turnout from the previous elections. Three women were elected to parliament, down from four in the previous sitting. Turnout was 82 per cent, up from 68 per cent in the 2019 elections.
Sources: al Jazeera, Reuters, Solomon Islands Election Commission
August 2023
Major newspaper trades friendly coverage for cash
Leaked documents obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project showed the Solomon Star, a major national newspaper, accepted over USD 130,000 from the Chinese government in exchange for a promise to “promote the truth about China’s generosity and its true intentions to help develop” the Solomon Islands. The newspaper used the funds to replace outdated or failing equipment. Its chief of staff denied that the agreement had impacted its coverage, but said that the Solomon Star had tried unsuccessfully to receive the same financial assistance from the Australian embassy for years and added “My summary on the whole thing is China is a doer, others are talkers. They spend too much time talking, nothing gets done.”
Sources: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Radio Free Asia
February 2023
Critical governor removed from office
The prominent critic of the central government, Daniel Suidani was removed as Premier of Malaita Province in a no-confidence vote on 7 February, sparking protests in the provincial capital of Auki. The provincial parliament accused Suidani of corruption, but he rejected both the charges and the legality of the vote and said he planned to challenge it in court. Suidani has been a key critic of the 2019 decision to switch the country’s diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, and it was a protest against that decision that devolved into riots in November 2021. Suidani’s removal signals a further deterioration of already-poor relations between Malaita and the national government. Observers cited the increasing geopolitical contestation between China and the United States in the country and political positioning before the national elections due in 2024 as key context for the move.
Sources: The Guardian, The Diplomat
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