Over the past five years, current Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has moved closer to Beijing, which has financed a series of infrastructure projects. Several opposition candidates would like to return to the sphere of influence of traditional partners, Australia and New Zealand. But according to commentators, internal political issues will also weigh in the April 17 elections, which for the most part have been ignored by the contenders.
Honiara (/Agencies) – The national elections to be held in two days in the Solomon Islands will be closely followed. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare signed a security pact with China in 2022 causing concern among Western allies, and he now hopes to be the first to serve two consecutive terms as prime minister. But the vote will also be conditioned by internal issues: the Solomon Islands are one of the poorest countries in the Pacific, with little infrastructure and an inefficient health system, whose development has depended mostly on foreign aid (traditionally from Australia and New Zealand), an issue that some opposition candidates have focused on.
In 2019 (the year in which Sogavare ran as an independent candidate and was elected prime minister after having previously held the position four times) the Solomon Islands broke diplomatic relations with Taiwan to move closer to the Chinese sphere of influence. The elections, initially scheduled for 2023, were postponed for a year by the prime minister himself to prevent them from being held at the same time as the Pacific Games, whose infrastructure was almost entirely financed by Beijing.
During the electoral campaign – under the slogan “Look North” that he first launched in 2008 – Sogavare reiterated the importance of chinese support for the execution of infrastructure projects, “fundamental” support that “helps position our country on a more favorable trajectory, on the right foot at the national and international level,” he stated.
Several opposition candidates would like to review the Solomon Islands' position with respect to China, including Peter Kenilorea Jr., who has called for the details of the security pact with China to be made public and believes that it is also necessary to restore relations with Taipei. Matthew Wale, for his part, in alliance with former Prime Minister Rick Hou, promised to improve education and health care and, in foreign policy, stated that his priority would be national interests. And finally, Daniel Suidani, candidate for governor of Malaita, the largest province, from which he had already excluded Chinese companies in the past.
Some commentators, however, believe that foreign policy has left domestic issues in the background, which would have deserved more attention from the contenders: “We should put geopolitics aside and respond first to pressing development needs and difficulties.” that populations living on remote islands have been facing for decades,” explained the former vice chancellor from the National University of the Solomon Islands, Jack Maebuta. Ruth Liloqula, head of Transparency Solomon Islands, also echoed these statements and criticized the parties for basing the election campaign “mainly on foreign policy”: “Look at the marginal areas first, not the North or any other place where you want look, and remember that people in remote areas suffer every day,” he commented.
Located 1,600 kilometers northeast of Australia, the Solomon Islands have a population of approximately 700,000 inhabitants, mostly spread over six main islands: Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Makira, Malaita, New Georgia and Saint Elizabeth. On April 17, voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 50 members of the new Parliament, once the ruling coalition is formed, will appoint the prime minister.
Sogavare first came to power in 2000 and stayed for 17 months. He returned to office in 2006 for 18 months and was then elected in 2014, but did not complete his four-year term due to a no-confidence vote. In 2021, when anti-government riots broke out, the Prime Minister was forced to call for Australian security forces to intervene to restore order.
It is difficult for observers to predict the outcome of these elections. On previous occasions, on the eve of the elections, called “the Devil's Night“, episodes of vote buying and selling were recorded, to the point that the Electoral Commission had to organize a campaign to urge citizens to “keep their vote secret and say no to benefits in exchange for their vote.”
