2006 Solomon Islands general election

General elections were held in the Solomon Islands on 5 April 2006. No party won more than four of the fifty seats, while thirty seats went to independent candidates. A number of those subsequently formed an Association of Independent Members of Parliament, with Snyder Rini as their leader. Rini was elected Prime Minister by Parliament on 18 April, amidst "widespread street protests" in Honiara, which caused particular damage in the city's Chinatown. Rioters "alleged corruption and insisted that Mr. Rini had been unfairly favouring Chinese businessmen". While the riots ceased with the arrival of Australian and New Zealand peacekeeping troops the next day, the opposition soon lodged a motion of no confidence in Rini's premiership. Rini resigned on 26 April, having been Prime Minister for just eight days. Opposition parties united in a coalition and succeeded in having Manasseh Sogavare, of the Solomon Islands Social Credit Party, elected Prime Minister on 4 May.[1]

2006 Solomon Islands general election
Solomon Islands
5 April 2006
PartyLeader % Seats
National 6.87 4
SIPRA 6.31 3
People's Alliance Allan Kemakeza 6.26 4
Liberal Bartholomew Ulufa'alu 4.98 2
Democratic 4.89 3
Socreds 4.31 2
Lafari 2.82 2
Independents – 60.26 30
Prime Minister before Prime Minister after
Allan Kemakeza
People's Alliance		 Snyder Rini
Independent
Politics of Solomon Islands
The Crown
Executive
Legislature
Elections
Judiciary
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations
Related topics

Conduct

Australia sent a ten-member observer delegation to monitor the election, led by Senator Marise Payne, and comprising MPs Bob Sercombe and Michael Ferguson, former Queensland Electoral Commissioner Bob Longland, and six experienced officials from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Defence and AusAID. The Australian observer delegation was joined by other international observer teams from New Zealand, Japan, the USA, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. The United Nations Electoral Assistance Division coordinated the consolidated international observer effort.[2] The international observers' interim assessment said the polling process was transparent and well-conducted, and voters were able to exercise a free and secret vote.[3]

Results

Twenty-six women candidates stood in the election, but none were elected, making the Solomons' Parliament one of the world's few all-male legislatures.[4]

PartyVotes%Seats
National Party13,1056.874
Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement12,0306.314
People's Alliance Party11,9356.263
Solomon Islands Liberal Party9,5074.982
Solomon Islands Democratic Party9,3384.893
Solomon Islands Social Credit Party8,2144.312
Lafari Party5,3842.822
Christian Alliance Party3,6131.890
Solomon Islands Labour Party1,7330.910
Solomons First Political Party3520.180
Solomon Islands United Party3240.170
Solomons One Nation Party2740.140
Independents114,97760.2630
Total190,786100.0050
Registered voters/turnout339,688–
Source: Psephos, IFES

References
  1. "Solomon Islands National Parliament: Election in 2006". Inter-Parliamentary Union.
  2. "Minister for Foreign Affairs". Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2007.
  3. "Observers endorse elections". Islands Business. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2007.
  4. "Women call for change in perception" Archived 17 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Lora Lini, Vanuatu Daily Post, 4 February 2009
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