The Government of Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Solomon Islands, it was 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. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 9 provinces and 1 city*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira and Ulawa, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western

National symbols

National colors: blue, yellow, green, white.

The flag

The National flag of Solomon Islands has divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green; blue represents the ocean, green the land, and yellow sunshine; the five stars stand for the five main island groups of the Solomon Islands.

The National Anthem

Title	"God Save Our Solomon Islands"
Lyric/music	Panapasa BALEKANA and Matila BALEKANA/Panapasa BALEKANA

note: adopted 1978

More about the government of Solomon Islands

Constitution
Date of Independence	7 July 1978 (from the UK)
National holiday	Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Legal system	mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
History	Adopted 31 May 1978, effective 7 July 1978; note - in late 2017, provincial leaders agreed to adopt a new federal constitution; progress has been stalled, but as of February 2023, the draft constitution was with the Constitutional Review Unit in the prime minister's office
Amendments	Proposed by the National Parliament; passage of constitutional sections, including those on fundamental rights and freedoms, the legal system, Parliament, alteration of the constitution and the ombudsman, requires three-fourths majority vote by Parliament and assent of the governor general; passage of other amendments requires two-thirds majority vote and assent of the governor general; amended several times, last in 2018
Citizenship
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
Executive Branch
Chief of state	King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General David Tiva KAPU (since 7 July 2024)
Head of government	Prime Minister Jeremiah MANELE (since 2 May 2024)
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
Legislative branch
Legislature name	National Parliament
Legislative structure	Unicameral
Number of seats	50 (all directly elected)
Electoral system	Plurality/majority
Scope of elections	Full renewal
Term in office	4 years
Most recent election date	4/17/2024
Parties elected and seats per party	Ownership Unity and Responsibility (OUR Party) (15); Solomon Islands Democratic Party (SIDP) (11); Solomon Islands United Party (UP) (6); Solomon Islands People First Party (SIPFP) (3); Independents (11); Other (4)
Percentage of women in chamber	6%
Expected date of next election	April 2028
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and ex officio members including 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 and includes 5 members, mostly judicial officials and legal professionals; all judges serve until retirement at age 60
Subordinate courts	Magistrates' Courts; Customary Land Appeal Court; local courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Jane Mugafalu Kabui WAETARA (since 16 September 2022); note - also Permanent Representative to the UN
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	[email protected]
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Ann Marie YASTISHOCK (since 14 March 2024); note - also accredited to the Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Embassy	BJS Building Commonwealth Avenue Honiara, Solomon Islands
Telephone	[677] 23426
FAX	[677] 27429
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	1 (natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	East Rennell