Police in Solomon Islands are concerned about inciteful comments online in the lead up to this week's prime ministerial election.
Voting will be held on Wednesday with the country's 50 parliamentarians to cast secret ballots to elect a new prime minister.
Solomon Islanders have been very vocal online and on social media about their preferred candidate and some controversy has arisen after a new MP popular among young voters was excluded from the prime ministerial race.
Solomon Islands Police Commissioner Matthew Varley updates media on election security operations. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins
In a press conference on Thursday the police chief Matthew Varley voiced concerns that some of the commentary was inciteful and posed a security risk.
Mr Varley urged people to behave responsibly online saying police are closely monitoring all online forums and warning they will take action against any individual or group trying to incite violence.
"So you can use online forums to express your political views. You can use social media to say who you would like to win or what you would like to see happen. But when you cross the line into say, '..but if this doesn't [happen] we should do the following in real life,' and 'we should carryout an act of violence or we should go get someone or we should go hurt someone or we should break something,' that is when it can cause incitement and can cross into the area of criminal law," Matthew Varley said.
Three time former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare and first time nominee Matthew Wale are the two candidates in the running for the top job.
In order to win they must secure the support of at least 26 of the 50 parliamentarians in the house.
The outcome of the vote will effectively determine which coalition group forms the new government.
