Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has used his independence day speech to reiterate his government's intention to defer the country's general elections until after the Pacific Games in 2023.
The move has been met with widespread public criticism and the opposition has said implementing it would be denying Solomon Islanders their democratic rights.
Addressing the country during its 44th Independence Day celebrations Sogavare said a lot of misinformation has been circulating about the current government and its intentions.
Photo:
He said the reason for the deferral is that there aren't enough funds to conduct two events in the same year.
"The government is only proposing to defer the general elections to be held after the 2023 Pacific Games. The reason for the deferral is that we do not have enough funds to conduct two events in the same year. The 2023 Pacific games will cost between 400 and 450 million [Solomon] dollars."
Sogavare hails relationship with China
Meanwhile, Sogavare singled out China in his speech, saying Beijing was a "new addition" to the Solomons, with the relationship between the two nations less than three years old.
But, he said, Beijing had already demonstrated a "genuine intention" to be a worthy partner in the country's development.
Sogavare said the past three years had been "particularly challenging" for the country and although he didn't mention Australia by name, he appeared to reference the recent tension between the two nations over Honiara's security pact with Beijing.
"Yes, relationships at times can sour, but that's the nature of relationships," he said.
"But only by taking different views can we find solutions to improving our relationships."