Pacific / Solomon Islands

Solomons eyes new electoral system

17:42 pm on 27 May 2015

The Solomon Islands government says it will scrap the country's first past the post electoral system in favour of a more representative system.

Photo: RNZI Koroi Hawkins

Experts from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and Australian and New Zealand universtities are in Honiara this week for a three-day seminar which is examining different electoral systems and discussing their compatibility to Solomon Islands.

The Government's Chief Technical Adviser, Mose Saitala, says the aim is to have a new system in place before the next general election in 2018.

" This is one of the top priorities of the government and that is to reform the electoral act and it coincides also with the overwhelming wish of the people of Solomon Islands to change the electoral system from that of first past the post to a more majoritarian kind."

Mr Saitala says special considerations are also being given to the possibility of a more inclusive process for Prime Ministerial Elections which have been a source of unrest and instability in the past.