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Politics
Politics of the Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands are a constitutional monarchy and have a parliamentary
system of government. The Queen is the head of state, she is represented by the
Governor-General who is chosen by the Parliament for a five-year term. There is
a unicameral parliament of 50 members, elected for four-year terms. However,
Parliament may be dissolved by majority vote of its members before the
completion of its term. Parliamentary representation is based on single-member
constituencies. Suffrage is universal for citizens over age 18. The head of
government is the Prime Minister; the Prime Minister is elected by Parliament
and chooses the other members of the cabinet. Each ministry is headed by a
cabinet member, who is assisted by a permanent secretary, a career public
servant, who directs the staff of the ministry.
Solomon Islands governments are characterized by weak political parties (see
List of political parties in Solomon Islands) and highly unstable parliamentary
coalitions. They are subject to frequent votes of no confidence, and government
leadership changes frequently as a result. Cabinet changes are common.
Land ownership is reserved for Solomon Islanders. The law provides that resident
expatriates, such as the Chinese and Kiribati, may obtain citizenship through
naturalization. Land generally is still held on a family or village basis and
may be handed down from mother or father according to local custom. The
islanders are reluctant to provide land for nontraditional economic
undertakings, and this has resulted in continual disputes over land ownership.
No military forces are maintained by the Solomon Islands, although a police
force of nearly 500 includes a border protection unit. The police also are
responsible for fire service, disaster relief, and maritime surveillance. The
police force is headed by a commissioner, appointed by the governor-general and
responsible to the prime minister. On 27 December 2006, the Solomon Islands
Government said it had taken steps to prevent the country's Australian police
chief from returning to the Pacific nation. On 12 January 2007, Australia
replaced its top diplomat expelled from the Solomon Islands for political
interference in a conciliatory move aimed at easing a four-month dispute between
the two countries.
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