Solomon Islands
Country in the SW Pacific Ocean, E of New Guinea, comprising many
hundreds of islands, the largest of which is Guadalcanal.
Government
The constitution dates from 1978 and provides for a constitutional
monarchy within the Commonwealth, with a resident governor general
representing the UK monarch as head of state.
There is a single-chamber legislature, the National Parliament,
with 47 members elected by universal suffrage for a four-year
term. The governor general appoints a prime minister, who is elected
by parliament, and a cabinet, drawn from and collectively responsible
to parliament.
History
The islands were inhabited by Melanesians, and were sighted by a 1568
expedition from Peru led by the Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendañ
a. They became a British protectorate in the 1890s.
Independence
The Solomon Islands acquired internal self-government 1976, with Peter
Kenilorea, leader of the Solomon Islands United Party (SIUPA),
as chief minister. He became prime minister when the islands achieved
full independence within the Commonwealth 1978; he was replaced
by Solomon Mamaloni of the People's Progressive Party 1981. In
the 1984 general election SIUPA won 13 seats and the opposition,
now the People's Alliance Party (PAP), 12. Kenilorea returned
to head a coalition government. After narrowly surviving a series
of no- confidence motions, he resigned Dec 1986, following allegations
that he had accepted US $47,000 of French aid to repair cyclone
damage to his home village in Malaita province. Kenilorea remained
in the cabinet of his successor, Ezekiel Alebua, a fellow SIUPA
member, and became deputy prime minister Feb 1988. In the 1989
general election support for the SIUPA halved and the PAP, led
by Mamaloni, re-emerged as the dominant party. Mamaloni formed
a coalition government which included members of the opposition.
The government promised to reform the constitution to establish
a republic and also to reduce the influence of ` foreign aid personnel´.
In Oct 1990 Mamaloni resigned as leader of the ruling PAP after
receiving a vote of no confidence. He continued as head of government
and as a result both the PAP and the opposition parties splintered
into personality-based factions. Mamaloni formed the Group for
National Unity and Reconciliation to fight the May 1993 election
but, although it won most seats, it did not achieve a clear majority.
Mamaloni lost parliamentary support and Francis Billy Hilly, an
independent politician, was elected prime minister. He resigned
Oct 1994 and Mamaloni was returned to power.
Foreign Relations
The Solomon Islands, under the SIUPA administrations, pursued a moderate
pro-Western course. However, during the 1981-84 Mamaloni administration,
relations with the USA were strained by the government's refusal
to allow nuclear- powered warships within the islands' territorial
waters. In pursuit of a new, broader `Pacific strategy´, the Solomon
Islands joined Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu March 1988 to form
the Spearhead Group, aiming to preserve Melanesian cultural traditions
and to secure independence for the French dependency of New Caledonia.
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