JUST a little above 2,000 miles from the Australian waters lies a tiny Pacific nation inhabited by more than 700,000 people, an untouched paradise teeming with remarkable biodiversity and pristine beaches – no other than the Solomon Islands.
Australia is the Solomon Islands’ largest source of foreign direct investment, with both nations able to sustain close ties through the years.
The Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) announced the official date for the Joint Elections by conducting the 2024 Electoral Walk, a procession participated by several residents who marched through the streets of Honiara, the nation’s capital.
Tens of thousands of eligible voters are anticipated to participate in the Joint Elections on April 17, 2024.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare accepted Australia’s offer to fund the elections after initially opposing the idea as a form of “foreign interference” – an allegation denied by Canberra.
Sogavare has slammed Western countries that were trying to undermine his government and accused Australia and the United States of meddling with his country’s internal affairs after they called for disclosure of the police cooperation agreement with China.
In November, Australia deployed hundreds of troops to the Solomon Islands to provide security for the Pacific Games which took place from November 19 to December 2, 2023. The Pacific Games is one of the biggest happenings in the region and Australia contributed about 17 million dollars for the event. Australian troops also extended their stay in the island nation until the elections.
In 2019, Sogavare assumed his fourth term as prime minister of the Solomon Islands. In that same year, the tiny Pacific nation also cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and switched its allegiance to China.
In April 2022, the Solomon Islands alarmed Australia and some Western countries after it signed a security agreement with China, a move that rattled the geopolitics of the Pacific Islands and Oceania, as it also marks Beijing’s first-known agreement of such kind in the region.
Sogavare also turned heads after his week-long visit to China in July 2023 resulted in a new deal on police cooperation.
2024 has been dubbed the Year of Elections, with more than 2 billion people across 50 countries anticipated to cast their ballots including eligible voters from the Solomon Islands.
As world leaders race for influence in the Pacific region, the question remains if Sogavare – who has forged close ties with Beijing – will maintain his grip on power after the elections. In case he loses, it remains to be seen if his successor will be pro-China or possibly more accommodating to Australia and its Western allies.
