 |
|---|
| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the Solomon Islands |
Executive |
Judiciary |
Administrative divisions |
The Leader of the Independent Members, also referred to as Leader of the Independent Group, is a Member of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands who is officially recognised as leader of a group of MPs who are aligned neither with the government nor with the Official Opposition.
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania lying to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu and covering a land area of 28,400 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). The country's capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal. The country takes its name from the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands, but excludes outlying islands, such as Rennell and Bellona, and the Santa Cruz Islands.
The Shadow Cabinet of Solomon Islands is the parliamentary Opposition's alternative Cabinet in Solomon Islands. Solomon Islands is a Commonwealth realm with a Westminster system of government; the Shadow Cabinet is modelled on the British institution of the same name.
The position is established by the Constitution of 1978, which has been in force since the country's independence from the United Kingdom. Article 66 of the Constitution creates the functions of Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Independent Members, which are separate. (While "Leader of the Opposition" is a position found throughout the Commonwealth realms, "Leader of the Independent Members" is specific to Solomon Islands.) Both are officially appointed by the Governor-General, who appoints as Leader the Member of Parliament recognised as such by the Opposition, or by unaligned Members, respectively. The Governor-General may dismiss the Leader of the Independent Members if it appears he no longer enjoys the support of those members. The Leader of the Independent Members has no specific, constitutionally defined functions. [1]
The United Kingdom (UK), officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and sometimes referred to as Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.
The Leader of the Opposition in Solomon Islands is a Member of Parliament who commands a large minority of his peers, united in loyal opposition to government. The title of "Leader of the Opposition" is common to the Commonwealth realms and several other Commonwealth countries, though in Solomon Islands it is specifically defined by the Constitution. The Leader of the Opposition appoints and leads a Shadow Cabinet. The current Leader of the Opposition, since December 2014, is Jeremiah Manele.
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in which Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning constitutional monarch and head of state. Each realm is independent from the other realms. As of 2019, there are 16 Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom. All 16 Commonwealth realms are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states. Elizabeth II is Head of the Commonwealth.
The following have served as Leader of the Independent Members:
- Daniel Enele Kwanairara from May 2006 to December 13, 2007, and Peter Shanel Agovaka from January 2008 to September 25, 2008. Both served during the Eighth Parliament, and neither was a member of any political party. [2] [3] [4]
- Clay Forau became Leader of the Independent Members on August 30, 2010, following the 2010 general election. He was thus the first holder of that post in the Ninth Parliament. [5] He is a member of the People's Federation Party. [6] In early April 2011, however, he left the position to join the ranks of the government. [7]
- Manasseh Maelanga, MP for East Malaita, was elected Leader of the Independent Members on 17 December 2014, following the 2014 general election. [8]
Daniel Enele Kwanairara was a Solomon Islands politician.
The 8th Parliament of Solomon Islands, determined by the 2006 general election, was the National Parliament of Solomon Islands from 2006 to 2010. It was preceded by the seventh and followed by the ninth.
Clay Forau Soalaoi, more commonly referred to as Clay Forau, is a Solomon Islands politician.
