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Solomon Islands

Monthly Event Reports

August 2023 | Major newspaper trades friendly coverage for cash

Leaked documents obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project showed the Solomon Star, a major national newspaper, accepted over USD 130,000 from the Chinese government in exchange for a promise to “promote the truth about China’s generosity and its true intentions to help develop” the Solomon Islands. The newspaper used the funds to replace outdated or failing equipment. Its chief of staff denied that the agreement had impacted its coverage, but said that the Solomon Star had tried unsuccessfully to receive the same financial assistance from the Australian embassy for years and added “My summary on the whole thing is China is a doer, others are talkers. They spend too much time talking, nothing gets done.”

February 2023 | Critical governor removed from office

The prominent critic of the central government, Daniel Suidani was removed as Premier of Malaita Province in a no-confidence vote on 7 February, sparking protests in the provincial capital of Auki. The provincial parliament accused Suidani of corruption, but he rejected both the charges and the legality of the vote and said he planned to challenge it in court. Suidani has been a key critic of the 2019 decision to switch the country’s diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, and it was a protest against that decision that devolved into riots in November 2021. Suidani’s removal signals a further deterioration of already-poor relations between Malaita and the national government. Observers cited the increasing geopolitical contestation between China and the United States in the country and political positioning before the national elections due in 2024 as key context for the move.

August 2022 | Pressure on public broadcaster

The government accused the public broadcaster of a “lack of ethics and professionalism” for covering riots and a no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister, and moved to take more direct control of the organization. This has sparked concerns over censorship.

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
703 995
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (since 2019)
Head of government party
Independent
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
8.0%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2019
Head of state
King Charles III
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
10/05/2021
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
66.25%
Population Tooltip
703 995
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (since 2019)
Head of government party
Independent
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
8.0%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2019
Head of state
King Charles III
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
10/05/2021
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
66.25%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
No Action
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
No Action
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Signatory
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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