Solomon Islands Government

What is the capital of Solomon Islands?

Country Name Solomon Islands
Full Country Name none
Local - Long none
Local - Short Solomon Islands
Former Name British Solomon Islands
Etymology- history of name Spanish explorer Alvaro de MENDANA named the isles in 1568 after the wealthy biblical King SOLOMON in the mistaken belief that the islands contained great riches
Government Type parliamentary democracy (National Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Capital Name Honiara
Capital - geographic coordinate 9 26 S, 159 57 E
Capital Time Difference UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence 7 July 1978 (from the UK)
National Holiday Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Constitution adopted 31 May 1978, effective 7 July 1978; new constitution drafted in 2014

Solomon Islands Capital City Map

Source: Google Maps

Solomon Islands Government and Politics

Who is the president of Solomon Islands?

Executive Branch: chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General David VUNAGI (since 8 July 2019)

head of government: Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE (since 24 April 2019)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the National Parliament for up to 5 years (eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by the National Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among members of the National Parliament

election results: Manasseh SOGAVARE elected prime minister on 24 April 2019
Citizenship Criteria: citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Solomon Islands

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years
Legal System: mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch: description: unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections: last held on 3 April 2019 (next originally scheduled for April 2023, but delayed until 2024)

election results: percent of vote by party - UDP 10.7%, DAP 7.8%, PAP 4.4%, independent 56.3%, other 20.8%; seats by party - DAP 7, UDP 5, PAP 3, KPSI 1, SIPFP 1, SIPRA 1, independent 32; composition - men 46, women 4, percent of women 8%
Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, and ex officio members to include the High Court chief justice and its puisne judges); High Court (consists of the chief justice and puisne judges as prescribed by the National Parliament)

judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court president, chief justices, and puisne judges appointed by the governor-general upon recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, chaired by the chief justice to include 5 members, mostly judicial officials and legal professionals; all judges appointed until retirement at age 60

subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts; Customary Land Appeal Court; local courts
Regions or States: 9 provinces and 1 city*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira and Ulawa, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western
Political Parties and Leaders: Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Steve ABANA]

Kadere Party of Solomon Islands or KPSI [Peter BOYERS]

People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Nathaniel WAENA]

Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Manasseh MAELANGA]

Solomon Islands People First Party or SIPFP [Dr. Jimmie RODGERS]

United Democratic Party or UDP [Sir Thomas Ko CHAN]

note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
International Law Organization Participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International Organization Participation: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, EITI (candidate country), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic Representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jane Mugafalu Kabui WAETARA (since 16 September 2022)

chancery: 685 Third Avenue, 11th Floor, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192

FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925

email address and website:

simun@solomons.com
Diplomatic Representation from US: the US does not have an embassy in the Solomon Islands; the US Ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands
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