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Events in the year 2022 in the Solomon Islands .
Ongoing — COVID-19 pandemic in Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in the Melanesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. This page is about the history of the nation state rather than the broader geographical area of the Solomon Islands archipelago, which covers both Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island, a province of Papua New Guinea. For the history of the archipelago not covered here refer to the former administration of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, the North Solomon Islands and the History of Bougainville.
Politics of Solomon Islands takes place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic, constitutional monarchy. Solomon Islands is an independent Commonwealth realm, where executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and a multi-party parliament.
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons, is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, to the northeast of Australia. It is directly adjacent to Papua New Guinea to the west, Australia to the southwest, New Caledonia and Vanuatu to the southeast, Fiji, Wallis and Futuna, and Tuvalu to the east, and Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia to the north. It has a total area of 28,896 square kilometres, and a population of 734,887 according to the official estimates for mid-2023. Its capital and largest city, Honiara, is located on the largest island, Guadalcanal. The country takes its name from the wider area of the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, but excludes the Santa Cruz Islands.
Manasseh Damukana Sogavare is a Solomon Islander politician serving as Minister of Finance since 2024. He served as the prime minister of Solomon Islands for a total of nine years from 2000–2001, 2006–2007, 2014–2017, and 2019–2024. Sogavare has served in the National Parliament representing East Choiseul since 1997.
The monarchy of Solomon Islands is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Solomon Islands. The monarch and head of state since 8 September 2022 is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Crown of Solomon Islands. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Solomon Islands and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Solomon Islands. However, the King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
Snyder Rini is a Solomon Islands politician who was briefly the prime minister of Solomon Islands from April to May 2006 and was Minister for Finance and Treasury 2000–2001, 2002–2003, 2007–2010 and 2014–2017. He has represented the Marovo constituency in National Parliament since 1997.
Sir Francis Billy Hilly is a Solomon Islands politician who was the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands from 18 June 1993 to 7 November 1994. He represented the Ranogga/Simbo Constituency in the National Parliament from 1976 to 1984, and has represented the constituency again since 1993. Hilly has been Minister of Commerce, Industry and Employment since December 2007.
Jeremiah Manele is a Solomon Island politician serving as prime minister following the 2024 Solomon Islands general election. He is the first prime minister of the country to come from Isabel Province.
Solomon Islands–United States relations are bilateral relations between Solomon Islands and the United States. Initial relations were forged during World War II with what was then the British Solomon Islands Protectorate during the Japanese occupation, and this relationship remained strong as Solomon Islands gained its independence in 1978. Relations continued until 1993 when post-Cold War budget cuts closed the United States Embassy in Honiara. Beginning in 2022, in an attempt to counter growing Chinese influence in Solomon Islands, the United States has demonstrated increased commitment to the restoration of relations with the country. In February 2023, the United States re-opened its embassy in Honiara.
Foreign relations exist between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is Australia's closest neighbour and a former colony of Australia. Both nations share the same continent in the Oceania region. Papua New Guinea has developed much closer relations with Australia than with Indonesia, the only country which it shares a land border with. The two countries are Commonwealth realms. In contemporary times, Papua New Guinea is one of the largest recipients of Australian aid. Some critics have pointed to instances where this has led to an outsized Australian influence on Papua New Guinea politics.
Charles Dausabea was a Solomon Islands politician.
Foreign relations exist between Australia and Solomon Islands. Australia has a High Commission in Honiara and Solomon Islands has a High Commission in Canberra. The two countries are members of the Pacific Islands Forum and Commonwealth realms with King Charles III as their head of state.
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 number, winning eight each. However, as in previous elections, independent candidates won the largest share of seats, securing 21.
Events in Oceania, during 2019.
The Constitution of the Solomon Islands is the supreme law of the Solomon Islands. It was approved on 31 May 1978 and entered into force on 7 July 1978 at the point of independence from the United Kingdom. It has been amended on a number of occasions and lacks any entrenched provisions, allowing it to be amended by the National Parliament.
The following lists events that happened during 2020 in the Solomon Islands.
The following lists events that happened during 2020 in the Solomon Islands.
The 2021 Solomon Islands unrest was a series of demonstrations and violent riots in Solomon Islands from 24 to 27 November 2021.
The United States–Pacific Island Country Summit was a meeting hosted by President of the United States Joe Biden with Pacific Island leaders held on September 28–29, 2022 at the White House in Washington, D.C., which coincided with the week of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
General elections were held in Solomon Islands on 17 April 2024 to determine the composition of the 12th Parliament. Initially planned for 2023, parliament voted in 2022 to delay the elections. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare claimed the country could not afford to have an election in the same year the Solomon Islands were hosting the Pacific Games. The opposition condemned the delay and accused Sogavare of a power grab.