2019 Solomon Islands general election

General elections were held in Solomon Islands on 3 April 2019 to determine the composition of the 11th Parliament. The election was the first to occur since the conclusion of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) in 2017. Parliament passed amendments to the electoral act in 2018 that included the introduction of pre-polling, a significant increase in campaign budgets for candidates and stricter penalties for individuals committing electoral offences such as vote-buying. Ten of the thirteen parties that contested the election won seats, and the Solomon Islands Democratic Party and the Kadere Party were the parties that secured the highest amount, winning eight each. However, as in previous elections, independent candidates won the largest share of seats, securing 21.

Two blocs emerged to attempt to form a government, including the Grand Coalition, with Mathew Wale as their candidate for prime minister. In contrast, the other bloc, the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement, nominated Manasseh Sogavare to challenge Wale. Sogavare had previously served as prime minister three times; his previous stint ended in 2017 after he lost a no-confidence vote. Wale challenged Sogavare's bid in court, claiming he was ineligible to stand for prime minister, as he registered his Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party (OUR) after the election (Sogavare ran as an independent), in breach of the electoral act. The high court ordered the vote for the prime minister to be postponed on the day it was scheduled to occur on 24 April; however, citing the constitution, Governor-General Frank Kabui ordered the vote to proceed. The Grand Coalition boycotted the vote in protest while parliament elected Sogavare to a fourth non-consecutive premiership. The vote sparked frustration with much of the public and resulted in riots in Honiara. The high court later dismissed Wale's case against Sogavare, determining it to have been based on repealed laws.

Background
Before the previous elections in 2014 Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo implemented biometric voter registration and voter identification cards to prevent individuals from voting multiple times. Two-thirds of the elected candidates were independents, winning 32 seats. Six different parties won the other 18 seats; the Democratic Alliance Party emerged with the most, securing seven seats. Five candidates of the United Democratic Party were successful, while three members of the People's Alliance Party were victorious. Three other parties, the Kadere Party, People First Party and the Solomon Islands Party for Rural Development, each won a single seat. Only one female candidate, Freda Soria Comua, was successful and became only the third woman elected to parliament in the country's history. In an upset, Prime Minister Lilo lost his seat.

Following the elections, negotiations on forming a government commenced. Independent MP Manasseh Sogavare, who previously served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, formed the Democratic Coalition for Change (DCC), which included the Kadere Party, United Democratic Party and numerous independents. Sogavare established the DCC to form a government, and on 9 December parliament elected him to a third non-consecutive term as prime minister, defeating first-term MP Jeremiah Manele.

In June 2017, the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands concluded operations in the country, the deployment of which was in response to ethnic violence that occurred from 1998 to 2003 and the resulting instability.

In October 2017 nine cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Maelanga, and several backbenchers defected to the opposition, citing an unease with Sogavare's nephew and chief of staff, Robson Djokovic's alleged undue influence in government affairs. They also claimed that the prime minister ignored them on policy issues and that he had strayed from the coalition's initial goals. On 6 November Sogavare lost a vote of no-confidence filed by the opposition, which was also how his previous stint as prime minister ended. Parliament elected former Finance Minister Rick Houenipwela on 15 November to succeed Sogavare.

Electoral system
The governor-general must schedule a general election to take place within four months of the dissolution of parliament. The nomination period commences the day after the announcement of the election date and concludes 42 days before the poll. The period for campaigning begins on the day of the proclamation of the polling date and ceases the day before the election. The 50 members of the National Parliament were elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. Candidates had to be at least 21 years old and resident in the constituency in which they ran. Disqualifications included holding dual citizenship, being executives or members of the Electoral Commission, having an undischarged bankruptcy, being imprisoned for more than six months, or being under a death sentence. Candidates running as members of a registered political party were not permitted to change their affiliation after the confirmation of their nomination; unless they withdrew and filed their candidacy again. The 2018 electoral act raised the non-refundable nomination fee from SI$2000 to SI$5000 in an attempt to lower the number of candidates, especially "shadow candidates" who ran with the sole purpose of splitting votes to benefit other contestants. The electoral commission argued that with fewer candidates, the victor would gain a more decisive mandate.

Voters
Voters had to be at least 18 years old and hold Solomon Islands citizenship. Overseas residents could not vote, and people were disqualified from voting if they had committed a breach of the electoral law, been declared insane, been imprisoned for more than six months, or were under a death sentence. A total of 359,522 Solomon Islanders registered to vote in the elections, an increase of 72,000 compared to the 2014 elections. The 2018 electoral act introduced pre-polling, which was open to polling staff and police officers that were to going to provide security for voting centres on election day.

Parties and candidates
A total of 333 candidates were nominated to contest the election; 171 were affiliates of a party, and 162 were independents. There were only 26 female candidates, a similar amount to elections in the previous 20 years. Although the amount of female voters has usually been equal to male voters, few women have run in past elections due to biases such as a perception that women's influence should not extend beyond domestic duties. Thirteen parties competed; however, parties in the Solomon Islands have tended to be personality-based, small, with limited organisation, and often lacking a clear ideology. Two candidates registered and campaigned as members of a party; however, disputes arose regarding proof of their affiliation. One candidate, Mark Kemakeza, campaigned as a member of the Solomon Islands Democratic Party (SIDP). However, the SIDP denied Kemakeza was an affiliate of the party and filed a complaint with the electoral commission, resulting in Kemakeza's disqualification in March 2019, decreasing the candidate total to 332.

Campaign
As in other Melanesian countries, "money politics", which refers to candidates engaging in vote buying and political gifting, have historically featured heavily throughout campaign seasons in the Solomon Islands. To combat this practice, amendments in the 2018 electoral act implemented stricter penalties, including a SI$50,000 fine and a 15-year prison sentence. The electoral commission conducted an awareness campaign in the lead-up to the election, highlighting the consequences of engaging in this practice. The 2018 amendments also increased the maximum campaign budget for candidates from SI$50,000 to SI$500,000 and, in turn, featured lavish spending from some contestants. Leadership quality, good governance and the economy were some of the most common issues many candidates focused on.

The Solomon Islands' diplomatic relations with Taiwan were frequently debated during the campaign. Numerous candidates, such as former Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, advocated for severing ties with Taiwan and establishing diplomatic relations with China due to the growing trade between the Solomon Islands and the latter. Despite having no formal diplomatic links, China had already become the Solomon Islands' largest export market. Incumbent Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela pledged a review of ties with Taipei if his government remained in power, although he clarified it did not mean a switch was inevitable. In late March, the Island Sun reported that an unidentified party negotiated secretly with Chinese officials, promising to establish relations with Beijing in exchange for money.

The campaign season concluded on 2 April, when the country's first campaign blackout period began, which from that day to the end of the election, barred campaigning and the public display of campaign material. The blackout was implemented by amendments in 2018; in previous polls, the night before polling day was known as the "devil's night" which would reportedly see an uptick in numerous candidates engaging in bribery and treating to secure last-minute votes.

Conduct
The dissolution of the 10th Parliament occurred on 16 December 2018, and Governor-General Frank Kabui announced the election date on 5 February 2019. Pre-polling occurred on 21 March from 7:00 to 17:00 (UTC+11). Shortly before the election, the Electoral Commission launched two apps that assist voters in finding their polling stations and where they could search for their identification number.

Australian and New Zealand defence forces provided contingency logistics support before and during the elections, including approximately 300 personnel, HMAS Melville, and six support helicopters. Observers included New Zealand observer groups in three constituencies, Australian observer groups in fourteen constituencies, and Australian National University researchers and observers in fifteen constituencies.

Days before the election, allegations surfaced of candidates threatening voters if they did not vote for them, which Police Commissioner Matthew Varley condemned. On election day, polling stations were open from 7:00 to 17:00 (UTC+11), although voters who were waiting in line before closing time but had not yet cast their ballots were allowed to vote. An alcohol ban was in force on election day and during the counting period, and over a thousand police officers were deployed around the country. Some polling stations were reportedly too small, leading to overcrowding and a lack of privacy for voters. While the election was mostly orderly and peaceful, observer delegations noted the presence of irregularities, with some voters' names missing from electoral lists at polling centres. Unlike past elections, once voting concluded, ballot boxes were transported to the capital Honiara where the vote counting occurred. Fears of violence led the police force to be on alert as the results were being announced and also prompted the police commissioner to prohibit victory parades.

Results
Eight parties won seats, none of which secured a majority. The Solomon Islands Democratic Party and the Kedare Party emerged as the largest parties, with eight seats each, and 21 independents were victorious. As in the 2014 election, most incumbents won re-election; of the 48 who contested, 13 lost their seats, including former Prime Ministers Derek Sikua and Snyder Rini. Two women, both incumbents, were elected. One of whom, Lanelle Tanangada, who won her seat in a 2018 by-election, narrowly defeated former Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo for a second time. Turnout exceeded 80% in most constituencies.

Aftermath
Following the election, negotiations to form a government commenced. Two blocs emerged to compete to take the reins of government. One bloc, the Grand Coalition, was composed of the United Democratic Party, the Solomon Islands Democratic Party and the Solomon Islands United Party. The Grand Coalition initially announced that Peter Kenilorea Jr. would be the bloc's candidate for prime minister but ended up nominating Matthew Wale. The Grand Coalition did not explain why they ultimately settled on Wale. Former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare relaunched the Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party (OUR Party) shortly after the election, which, along with the Kadere, People First and Democratic Alliance parties, formed the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA). Sogavare was the DCGA bloc's nominee for prime minister.

Wale filed a lawsuit challenging Sogavare's candidacy, claiming he was ineligible to stand for prime minister because he registered his party after the election, a breach of electoral law. Governor-General Frank Kabui scheduled the election for the prime minister to occur on 24 April. Amid fears of violence, police officers were deployed around parliament. The police commission also denied a request by a youth group to protest the prime minister's election. The courts issued an injunction to parliament shortly before the scheduled poll, ordering the postponement of the vote. However, utilising the privilege of immunity from the courts, Governor-General Kabui instructed the vote to proceed. Kabui stated that his decision was following the constitution, which grants the governor-general the final decision over any disputes regarding the election of the head of government. In response, Wale and the 14 other members of the Grand Coalition boycotted the vote. Parliament elected Sogavare to a fourth non-consecutive term as prime minister; he received 35 votes, although one was spoilt. Wale subsequently became the opposition leader. Sogavare's return to the premiership sparked riots in Honiara due to public dissatisfaction over the prime minister's election and the lack of involvement citizens had with the government formation. In late May, the courts dismissed Sogavare's eligibility case; Chief Justice Albert Palmer stated that the late party registration referenced repealed laws, while the case against the governor-general's decision referred to a law that conflicted with the constitution. Palmer also commented that it was not the court's job to fix deficient legislation.

The first convention of the 11th Parliament occurred on 15 May. That day, the new parliament elected former cabinet minister Patteson Oti, who had most recently served as high commissioner to Fiji, as speaker. Sogavare's OUR Party saw numerous MPs join and by November 2019 the party had gained a decisive majority in parliament, occupying 32 seats.