Solomon Islands governments are characterized by weak political parties 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. The first post-independence government was elected in August 1980. Prime Minister
Peter Kenilorea was head of government until September 1981, when he was succeeded by
Solomon Mamaloni as the result of a realignment within the parliamentary coalitions. Following the November 1984 elections, Kenilorea was again elected Prime Minister, to be replaced in 1986 by his former deputy
Ezekiel Alebua following shifts within the parliamentary coalitions. The next election, held in early 1989, returned Solomon Mamaloni as Prime Minister.
Francis Billy Hilly was elected Prime Minister following the national elections in June 1993, and headed the government until November 1994 when four Cabinet Ministers were allegedly bribed by a foreign logging company to shift their parliamentary loyalties and bring Solomon Mamaloni back to power. The national election of 6 August 1997 resulted in
Bartholomew Ulufa'alu's election as Prime Minister, heading a coalition government, which christened itself the
Solomon Islands Alliance for Change. In June 2000, an insurrection mounted by militants from the island of
Malaita resulted in the brief detention of Ulufa’alu and his subsequent forced resignation. Prior to this Ulufa'alu had requested Australian intervention to stabilise the deteriorating situation in Solomon Islands, which was refused.
Manasseh Sogavare, leader of the
People's Progressive Party, was chosen Prime Minister by a loose coalition of parties. New elections in December 2001 brought
Sir Allan Kemakeza into the Prime Minister's chair with the support of a coalition of parties. Bartholomew Ulufa’alu was Leader of the Opposition. Kemakeza attempted to address the deteriorating law and order situation in the country, but the prevailing atmosphere of lawlessness, widespread
extortion, and ineffective police prompted a formal request by the Solomon Islands Government for outside help. In July 2003,
Australian and
Pacific Island police and troops arrived in the Solomon Islands under the auspices of the Australian-led
Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). The mission, consisting of a policing effort, military support, and a large development component, largely restored law and order to Honiara and the other provinces of Solomon Islands. Efforts are now underway to identify a donor base and reestablish credible systems of governance and financial management. In the 2006 legislative election Kemakeza's People's Alliance Party suffered a major defeat, losing more than half its seats. However Deputy Prime Minister Synder Rini succeeded in gaining the support of enough Independent Members of Parliament to form government. This resulted in rioting in the capital of Honiara. Much of the violence was directed at Chinese businessmen who were accused of influencing the election result. Reinforcements to RAMSI stabilised the situation, but not before serious damage was done to the nation's already fragile economy. Rini resigned shortly before a motion of no confidence was due to take place, and was succeeded by Manasseh Sogavare, a former Prime Minister. The inability of RAMSI to oversee a peaceful election has raised serious doubts about the success of the mission. In 2006,
riots broke out following the election of
Snyder Rini as Prime Minister, destroying part of Chinatown and displacing more than 1,000 Chinese residents; the large Pacific Casino Hotel was also totally gutted. The commercial heart of Honiara was virtually reduced to rubble and ashes. Three
National Parliament members,
Charles Dausabea,
Nelson Ne'e, and
Patrick Vahoe, were arrested during or as a result of the riots. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), the 16-country Pacific Islands Forum initiative set up in 2003 with assistance from Australia, intervened, sending in additional police and army officers to bring the situation under control. A vote of no confidence was passed against the Prime Minister. Following his resignation, a five-party Grand Coalition for Change Government was formed in May 2006, with Manasseh Sogavare as Prime Minister, quelling the riots and running the government. The military part of
RAMSI was withdrawn in 2013 and rebuilding took shape. In 2009, the government is scheduled to set up a
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, with the assistance of
South African Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, to "address people’s traumatic experiences during the five-year ethnic conflict on Guadalcanal". The government continues to face serious problems, including an uncertain economic outlook,
deforestation, and
malaria control. At one point, prior to the deployment of RAMSI forces, the country was facing a serious financial crisis. While economic conditions are improving, the situation remains unstable.
2021 unrest with
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in July 2016 In 2019, the central government under Prime Minister
Manasseh Sogavare withdrew recognition of the
Republic of China (Taiwan) and established relations with the mainland
People's Republic of China.
Malaita Province, however, continued to be supported by Taiwan and the
United States, the latter sending US$25 million of aid to the island in 2020. The premier of Malaita Province,
Daniel Suidani, also held an independence referendum in 2020 which the national government has dismissed as illegitimate. Rising unemployment and poverty, worsened by the border closure during the
COVID-19 pandemic, have also been cited as a cause of the unrest. Chinese businesses were also accused of giving jobs to foreigners instead of locals. The protests were initially peaceful, but turned violent on 24 November 2021 after buildings adjoining the
Solomon Islands Parliament Building were burnt down. Schools and businesses were closed down as police and government forces clashed with protesters. Violence escalated as
Honiara's Chinatown was looted. Most of the protesters came from
Malaita Province.
Australia responded to the unrest by deploying
Australian Federal Police and
Australian Defence Force personnel following a request from the Sogavare government under the
Australia–Solomon Islands Bilateral Security Treaty.
Papua New Guinea,
Fiji and
New Zealand also sent peacekeepers.
Since 2024 In May 2024,
Jeremiah Manele was elected as the Solomon Islands new prime minister to succeed Manasseh Sogavare. ==Land ownership==