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.
A major campaign issue included the country's ties with China; however, domestic issues were a primary concern amongst many voters, including the cost of living, the national debt and medicine shortages. Eight parties and ten independents won seats. Prime Minister Sogavare's Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party (OUR) won the most seats, securing 15, but fell short of a majority. The opposition Coalition for Accountability, Reform and Empowerment (CARE) bloc, made up of the Democratic Party, Democratic Alliance and the Umi for Change Party, won a combined 13 seats. Another opposition party, the United Party (UP), secured six seats. 
After the election, the OUR Party established the Coalition of National Unity and Transformation with the Kadere and People First parties. On 29 April, Sogavare announced he would not seek another term as prime minister in the 2 May parliamentary vote. The coalition nominated Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele in his place, while CARE, UP and the Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement (SIPRA) selected Matthew Wale. Manele went on to defeat Wale, with the support of most of the independents.
Background.
The previous election, held in 2019, took place following amendments to the electoral act in 2018, which introduced additional measures to prevent electoral fraud, including stricter penalties for candidates and voters engaging in bribery and the implementation of a campaign blackout the day before the election to deter vote-buying. However, the maximum campaign budget for candidates saw a rapid increase from SI$50,000 to SI$500,000, resulting in cases of lavish campaign spending.
Results showed no party obtained a majority as in previous elections. Of the eight parties that secured seats, the Solomon Islands Democratic and Kadere parties emerged as the largest; both won eight. Independents won the other 21 seats.
With no dominant party, two blocs formed to compete to take the reins of government. Manasseh Sogavare, who had previously served three non-consecutive terms as prime minister, two of which ended in no-confidence votes, refounded his Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party (OUR) shortly after the election. The OUR Party, along with the Kadere, People First and Democratic Alliance parties, formed the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA) bloc with Sogavare as the DCGA's nominee for prime minister. On the other hand, the Solomon Islands United Party, Solomon Islands Democratic Party and the United Democratic Party formed the Grand Coalition; Matthew Wale was the bloc's prime ministerial nominee. Wale challenged Sogavare's eligibility to serve as prime minister in court, claiming he was ineligible as he registered his party after the election, in breach of the electoral act. The High Court suspended Parliament's vote for prime minister shortly before it was to occur on 24 April, having issued an injunction. However, citing the constitution, Governor-General Frank Kabui ordered the vote to proceed. In response, Wale and the Grand Coalition boycotted the vote while the remaining members elected Sogavare prime minister. Wale then became leader of the opposition. Sogavare's return as prime minister resulted in riots in Honiara, stemming from public frustration over the lack of citizen involvement with government formation. The High Court later dismissed the case against Sogavare's eligibility to run for prime minister.
The OUR Party saw numerous MPs join after the election, and by November 2019, the party had attained a comfortable majority of 32 seats.
2021 unrest.
In November 2021, protests broke out in Honiara near parliament. Sogavare's government withdrew Solomon Islands' recognition of Taiwan in 2019 and established diplomatic ties with China. The switch faced condemnation by the opposition and the provincial government of Malaita, which maintained de facto relations with Taipei, increasing tensions between Sogavare and Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. Many protesters were from Malaita province and demanded Sogavare's resignation due to the decision to pursue ties with Beijing, along with other factors, including allegations of the central government ignoring the public on issues including infrastructure. When Sogavare did not address the demonstrators, riots broke out. Police attempted to disperse the crowds by firing tear gas while the government imposed a 36-hour lockdown in the capital. Demonstrators defied the curfew and took to Honiara's Chinatown. Numerous businesses and a police station were burnt down, resulting in three deaths. Once the rioting ceased, military personnel and police from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea were deployed to help restore order. Opposition Leader Matthew Wale called for Sogavare to do "the honourable thing and resign" and announced he would file a no-confidence motion if the prime minister refused. Sogavare resisted calls to step down and blamed interference from unnamed foreign powers for the riots, stating, "I don't want to name names…we know who they are". Wale subsequently introduced a no-confidence motion, which Parliament voted on in December 2021. During the debate, Sogavare claimed the "innocent people of Malaita have been lied to by these agents of Taiwan" and described the riots as an "attempted illegal coup". Sogavare survived the no-confidence motion with 32 MPs voting to keep him in office.
Security pact with China.
In March 2022, the DCGA government signed a security pact with China, which permits Solomon Islands to request the deployment of Chinese military personnel to assist the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in restoring order in the event of a similar incident to the 2021 protests and riots. In such a scenario, Chinese personnel would also protect Chinese-owned businesses, nationals and diplomats. The full details of the pact were not made public. Reportedly, a part of his "friends to all, enemy to none" foreign policy, Prime Minister Sogavare believed that the pact would benefit Solomon Islands by providing the country with more stability, which would attract more investors and result in further development. The opposition condemned the agreement, claiming it would provide more leverage for Chinese influence that would undermine Solomon Islands' democracy. They pledged to repeal it if they were to oust the DCGA government at the election. Two groups, Transparency Solomon Islands and Solomon Islands Council of Women, claimed the pact would not represent the public's interests, that it would effectively cede the country's sovereignty to China and condemned its alleged lack of holistic consultation with Solomon Islanders. Australia, Fiji, Japan, the Federated States of Micronesia, New Zealand and the United States voiced concerns with the pact. These countries, along with others in the region, also feared how the agreement might allow China to establish a military base in Solomon Islands, which both Honiara and Beijing denied. The pact prompted the United States to re-open an embassy in Honiara in 2023.
Electoral system.
The governor-general must schedule a general election to take place within four months of the dissolution of parliament. The nomination period commences the day after the announcement of the election date and concludes 42 days before the poll. The period for campaigning begins on the day of the proclamation of the polling date and ceases the day before the election. The 50 members of the National Parliament are elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. Candidates are required to be at least 21 years old and resident in the constituency they contest. Disqualifications included holding dual citizenship, being executives or members of the Electoral Commission, having an undischarged bankruptcy, being imprisoned for more than six months, or being under a death sentence. The 2018 electoral act raised the non-refundable nomination fee from SI$2000 to SI$5000 in an attempt to lower the number of candidates, especially "shadow candidates" who ran with the sole purpose of splitting votes to benefit other contestants. The electoral commission argued that with fewer candidates, the victor would gain a more decisive mandate. Candidates running as a member of a registered political party are not permitted to change their affiliation after the confirmation of their nomination; unless they withdraw and file their candidacy again.
Voters.
Voters must be at least 18 years old and hold Solomon Islands citizenship. Individuals disqualified from voting include those that have committed a breach of the electoral law, been declared insane, been imprisoned for more than six months, or were under a death sentence. The 2018 electoral act introduced pre-polling, open to polling staff and police officers that are to provide security for voting centres on election day. In early February 2024, the chief electoral officer of the election commission, Jasper Highwood Anisi, announced that citizens abroad on election day, including seasonal workers in Australia and New Zealand, would be unable to vote as absentee voting would not occur. Around the time of the 2024 election, there were no provisions for overseas voting. Anisi said seasonal workers would possibly be able to vote from abroad in future elections. A total of 420,185 citizens were registered to vote in this election.
Election postponement.
In September 2022, the Sogavare government passed a bill in parliament, delaying the dissolution of the 11th Parliament, which was due to occur on 19 May 2023, by several months to 31 December, to enable the postponement of the 2023 general election to 2024. As Solomon Islands were hosting the Pacific Games in 2023, Sogavare said the election delay was necessary, arguing the country could not afford to hold two major events in the same year as it was still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 unrest. Many citizens were reportedly sceptical about the intentions behind the delay, which also raised fears of unrest. A survey conducted by Transparency Solomon Islands from 31 March to 1 April 2022 found that 83% of the 2,178 respondents from the public opposed the deferral. The opposition denounced the postponement as anti-democratic and a "power grab". Opponents also criticised how the government had rushed the bill through parliament, evading the regular procedures that allow for public input. Opposition Leader Wale said the prime minister had "succeeded in making [Solomon Islands] the laughing stock of the region, as a country that is prepared to tamper with its own constitution for a two-week event, against the clear wishes of its people". Sogavare claimed the postponement would not threaten the democratic process and said opponents to the bill lacked evidence that it was undemocratic. An electoral amendment bill passed by parliament on 14 December 2023 arranged for the national election to occur on the same day as the provincial and Honiara City Council elections, marking the first joint elections in Solomon Islands since independence. The only two provinces not to schedule provincial elections for 2024 were Choiseul and Western, which held elections in 2022. On 26 January 2024, the electoral commission scheduled the election for 17 April.
Schedule.
Acting Governor-General Patteson Oti confirmed the election date in a formal announcement on 20 February. The following day, the campaign period and the candidate nomination process commenced, with the latter concluding on 6 March. The deadline for candidates wishing to withdraw was set for 8 March by the electoral commission.
Parties and candidates.
A total of 334 candidates were nominated to contest the election, a similar amount to the 332 in the 2019 election. Only 21 contestants were women, comprising 6% of all candidates, a slight decrease from 26 in 2019. Two incumbent female MPs did not seek re-election. Of all the candidates, 219 were affiliated with one of the 13 contesting parties, while the other 115 ran as independents. The Solomon Islands Democratic Party and the Democratic Alliance Party established an alliance before the election, named the Coalition for Accountability, Reform and Empowerment (CARE). Most parties in Solomon Islands tend to lack a consistent or cohesive ideology, instead focusing on one or more of the following: the policies and personality of the party leader, religion, regional or tribal loyalty, and/or familial ties. This results in the parties being unstable and membership fluid, with members of parliament switching parties being common.
Campaign.
Solomon Islands' relations and security pact with China were a significant issue during the campaign. However, many voters were more concerned about domestic matters, including medicine shortages in clinics throughout the country, education, the poor quality of roads, the cost of living and the national debt. Transparency Solomon Islands head Ruth Liloqula