Topic: Australian Federal Elections. Two boys check out Australian RAMSI soldiers on patrol, established in to restore law, order and good governance following years of ethnic unrest. AAP: Lloyd Jones. The Solomon Islands governor-general has announced that the country will go to the polls on November 19 in the first vote since an Australian-led security mission departed in The regional assistance mission, RAMSI, was sent into Solomon Islands in to help the government and security forces regain control after a crippling civil war and threats from militants.
Sir Frank Kabui signed the proclamation for the national elections on Tuesday, also marking the beginning of a two week nomination process for those intending to contest the polls. More than , voters are registered for the elections after an audit removed , fraudulent, incorrect or duplicate registrations. In a statement, the office of the prime minister said the newly audited voter list is expected to contribute to a fair and credible election.
The registrar of the Political Parties Commission, Calvin Ziru, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat that nine parties have already applied to contest the election, and two more are expected to by the close of the nomination process. Many members of parliament were criticised by a Transparency Solomon Islands report in September for being largely inactive in the life of the government of prime minister Gordon Darcy Lilo.
It found only seven MPs contributing to more than half of the bills debated in parliament. But Mr Ziru said newly registered parties seem to have actively recruited from the provinces in a clear sign of a switch away from the entrenched elite of Honiara.
The economy of Solomon Islands, the third most populous nation in the South Pacific after Papua New Guinea and Fiji, is at a turning point as mining interests increase and its unsustainable logging industry continues to drag on its income and environment. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
