22 Jan 2019

Solomons prepare for first election post RAMSI

From , 5:01 am on 22 January 2019

Solomon Islands is preparing for a historic election this year, the first under new electoral laws and without the presence of the regional intervention force RAMSI.

The Australian and New Zealand led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands which had arrived in the country in 2003, bringing an end to several years of bloody ethnic conflict, officially ended in 2017, returning the reins for the country's national security to a rebuilt Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.

Koroi Hawkins spoke with ANU research fellow and Melanesia election expert Terence Wood about the upcoming election and the teething problems still being experienced in the implementation of major changes brought in under a new Electoral Act passed last year.

The Solomon Islands flag

The Solomon Islands flag Photo: RNZI