SOLOMON ISLANDS

• Official name: Solomon Islands
• Location: Pacific
• International organisations: African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Commonwealth of Nations, Pacific Islands Forum, United Nations.
• Borders: None
• Coastline: Coral Sea, Pacific Ocean
• Land area: 28,450 Km2
• Population: 520,000
• Annual GDP (PPP) per capita: US$2,600 (2009 CIA estimate). World ranking: 140
• Ethnicity: Almost the entire population is of Melanesian stock. There are small Polynesian, European and Chinese minorities.
• Languages: English is the official language, but most of the population speak a Melanesian pidgin.
• Religion: Most of the population are Christians, the majority Protestant. Many people follow indigenous cults.
• Form of government: Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. Solomon Islands is divided into nine provinces and the capital territory.
• Capital: Honiara
• Constitution: The Constitution of Solomon Islands came into effect on 7 July 1978.
• Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Solomon Islands. The Queen came to the British throne on 6 February 1952, and has held the title Queen of Solomon Islands since 7 July 1978. The Queen's functions in Solomon Islands are exercised by a Governor-General, appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. Sir Frank Kabui took office as Governor-General on 7 July 2009.
• Head of government: The Prime Minister, appointed by the Governor-General. The Prime Minister is accountable to the legislature.
• Legislature: Solomon Islands has a unicameral legislature, the National Parliament, which has 50 members elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.
• Electoral authority: None known
• Freedom House 2011 rating: Political Rights 4, Civil Liberties 3
• Transparency International Corruption Index: 28% (110 of 178 countries rated)
• Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom 2010 Index: no rating given
• Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom 2010 Index: 45.9% (162 of 179 countries rated)

Political history

The Solomon Islands were discovered by the Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendana in 1568. The islands were undisturbed until 1893 when they were made a British protectorate, mainly to protect the islanders from being abducted to Australia to work in the sugarcane industry. They were occupied by the Japanese in 1942 and Guadalcanal was the scene of heavy fighting, with U.S. forces evicting the Japanese in 1943. British control was re-established in 1945, and constitutional development began with the creation of a legislative council in 1960. Internal self-government was granted in 1974, and independence followed in 1978.

In the 1990s a long-simmering land dispute broke out on Guadalcanal between the islanders and people from the island of Malaita. The country's fragile economy and infrastructure collapsed into near anarchy and civil war. The resulting crisis led the Solomons government to ask for Australian assistance, and Australian military, police and civilian agencies took control of the country's administation. Successful elections were held in 2001. Following the 2006 elections, however, there were allegations of bribery which led to rioting in the capital. The new Prime Minister, Snyder Rini, resigned, and his successor, Manasseh Sogavare, became embroiled in controversy and conflict with the Australian representatives. His high-handed actions led to his removal by the Parliament in November 2007. The next Prime Minister, Derek Sikua, managed to stabilise the situation. Following the 2010 elections, which were fairly successful, Danny Philip became Prime Minister. He was forced out by corruption allegations in November 2011, and replaced by Gordon Lilo Darcy.

Solomon Islands has a very weak party system, with 20 of the 50 seats in the Parliament being held by independent members, and only one party having more than ten seats. The major parties include the Democratic Party, the Reformed Democratic Party and OUR Party.

Freedom House's 2011 report on Solomon Islands says: "The Solomon Islands are not an electoral democracy... While several political parties operate, political activity is driven more by personalities and clan identities than party affiliation. Also, shifting alliances within the parliament remain a source of political instability... Rampant corruption at all levels of government is a major source of public discontent and hinders economic development... Freedoms of expression and the press are generally respected, but politicians and elites sometimes use legal and extralegal means to intimidate journalists... The constitution guarantees freedom of assembly, and the government generally recognises this right... Threats against judges and prosecutors have weakened the independence and rigor of the judicial system. Judges and prosecutors have also been implicated in scandals relating to corruption and abuse of power. A lack of resources limits the government’s ability to provide legal counsel and timely trials... Domestic security and law enforcement are provided by a civilian-controlled police force of about 1,000 people, but poor training, widespread abuse of power, and factional and ethnic rivalries have undermined public trust in the service."

Updated November 2010