Prime Minister of Solomon Islands
| Prime Minister of Solomon Islands | |
|---|---|
| Praem Minista blo Solomon Aelan (Pijin) | |
 Coat of Arms of Solomon Islands | |
| Residence | Red House, Honiara |
| Appointer |
|
| Term length |
|
Constituting instrument | Constitution of Solomon Islands |
| Formation | 7 July 1978 |
| First holder | Peter Kenilorea |
| Salary | SI$143,000 / US$17,439 annually[1] |
|
|---|
| Constitution |
The prime minister of Solomon Islands is Solomon Islands' head of government, as elected by the National Parliament. Matthew Wale has served as the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands since May 2026.
Solomon Islands is a Commonwealth realm; the functions of the head of state are performed on behalf of the monarch of Solomon Islands by the governor-general of Solomon Islands, who is nominated by Parliament.
The prime minister's official residence is Red House in Honiara.
Constitutional basis
[edit]Section 33 of the constitution of Solomon Islands provides for the prime minister to be elected by the members of the national parliament. The other government ministers are appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister.[2]
The prime minister may be removed from office by the governor-general following a no-confidence motion passed by an absolute majority of the national parliament. The office is also vacated if the prime minister resigns, ceases to be a member of parliament, or is elected as speaker or deputy speaker. In the event of a vacancy, the governor-general, in consultation with cabinet, appoints one of the existing government ministers to act as prime minister until the national parliament can meet to fill the vacancy.[3]
Schedule 2 to the constitution outlines the process for election of the prime minister. All members of parliament are eligible for nomination, but must be nominated by at least four other members. The election is then held by secret ballot with the governor-general presiding. If a candidate fails to secure a majority of votes on the first ballot, an exhaustive ballot takes place with the candidate with the lowest number of votes eliminated on each ballot.[4]
List of officeholders
[edit]- Political parties
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Elected | Cabinet(s) | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
| 1 | .jpg) |
Peter Kenilorea (1943–2016) |
7 July 1978 | 31 August 1981 | 3 years, 55 days | United Party | – | Kenilorea I | ||
| 1980 | ||||||||||
| 2 |  |
Solomon Mamaloni (1943–2000) |
31 August 1981 | 19 November 1984 | 3 years, 80 days | People's Alliance Party | — | Mamaloni I | ||
| (1) | |
Sir Peter Kenilorea (1943–2016) |
19 November 1984 | 1 December 1986 | 2 years, 12 days | United Party | 1984 | Kenilorea II | ||
| 3 | |
Ezekiel Alebua (1947–2022) |
1 December 1986 | 28 March 1989 | 2 years, 117 days | United Party | — | Alebua | ||
| (2) | |
Solomon Mamaloni (1943–2000) |
28 March 1989 | 18 June 1993 | 4 years, 82 days | People's Alliance Party (GNUR) |
1989 | Mamaloni II | ||
| 4 | |
Sir Francis Billy Hilly (1948–2025) |
18 June 1993 | 7 November 1994 | 1 year, 142 days | Independent (NCP) |
1993 | Hilly | ||
| (2) | |
Solomon Mamaloni (1943–2000) |
7 November 1994 | 27 August 1997 | 2 years, 293 days | National Unity and Reconciliation | — | Mamaloni III | ||
| 5 | .jpg) |
Bartholomew Ulufa'alu (1950–2007) |
27 August 1997 | 30 June 2000 | 2 years, 308 days | Liberal Party (SIAC) |
1997 | Ulufa'alu | ||
| 6 |  |
Manasseh Sogavare (born 1955) |
30 June 2000 | 17 December 2001 | 1 year, 170 days | People's Progressive Party | — | Sogavare I | ||
| 7 |  |
Allan Kemakeza (born 1950) |
17 December 2001 | 20 April 2006 | 4 years, 124 days | People's Progressive Party | 2001 | Kemakeza | ||
| 8 |  |
Snyder Rini (1948–2025) |
20 April 2006 | 4 May 2006 | 14 days | Association of Independent Members | 2006 | Rini | ||
| (6) | |
Manasseh Sogavare (born 1955) |
4 May 2006 | 20 December 2007 | 1 year, 230 days | Social Credit Party | — | Sogavare II | ||
| 9 |  |
Derek Sikua (born 1959) |
20 December 2007 | 25 August 2010 | 2 years, 248 days | Liberal Party | — | Sikua | ||
| 10 | .jpg) |
Danny Philip (born 1953) |
25 August 2010 | 16 November 2011 | 1 year, 83 days | Reform Democratic | 2010 | Philip | ||
| 11 |  |
Gordon Darcy Lilo (born 1965) |
16 November 2011 | 9 December 2014 | 3 years, 23 days | Party for Rural Advancement | — | Lilo | ||
| (6) | |
Manasseh Sogavare (born 1955) |
9 December 2014 | 15 November 2017 | 2 years, 341 days | Independent | 2014 | Sogavare III | ||
| 12 | .jpg) |
Rick Houenipwela (born 1958) |
15 November 2017 | 24 April 2019 | 1 year, 160 days | Democratic Alliance | — | Houenipwela | ||
| (6) | .jpg) |
Manasseh Sogavare (born 1955) |
24 April 2019 | 2 May 2024 | 5 years, 8 days | Ownership, Unity and Responsibility | 2019 | Sogavare IV | ||
| 13 |  |
Jeremiah Manele (born 1968) |
2 May 2024 | 15 May 2026 | 2 years, 13 days | Ownership, Unity and Responsibility | 2024 | Manele | ||
| 14 | .jpg) |
Matthew Wale (born 1968) |
15 May 2026 | Incumbent | 173 days | Democratic Party | — | Wale | ||
Timeline
[edit]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Government of the Solomon Islands. "Parliament Entitlements Regulations, 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ↑ "Section 33". Constitution of Solomon Islands. Retrieved 11 June 2024 – via Constitute Project.
- ↑ "Section 34". Constitution of Solomon Islands. Retrieved 11 June 2024 – via Constitute Project.
- ↑ "Schedule 2". Constitution of Solomon Islands. Retrieved 11 June 2024 – via Constitute Project.
