Transcript
Well before this polling station at the Honiara City Council building opened on Wednesday people were lining up to check for their names.
David, not his real name, was one of the first to cast his ballot.
"I am looking for a leader who is fair to everybody. I don't want to have a leader that is very biased in decisions or nepotism. I want a leader that is very fair to every races. I know that people now have the eye-opening they know that it is very, they have to make a serious decision about putting somebody who will make a change."
Others lining up to vote were equally passionate.
A male voter said: "This country is moving towards a near disaster situation both in terms of its economics and its politics and many more aspects. So, I have come here today to vote for change."
A female voter said: "I want to vote for someone who is educated and a good leader for the future of our children it is very important for us to choose the best people to make changes for our nation our country Solomon Islands."
A couple of hours drive east of the capital is the North East Guadalcanal constituency. People I spoke to here said they were frustrated by a lack of development in their communities.
"Because there is a lot of corruption nowadays. So, we need to select leaders who have good ideas and a vision for their people and the nation of Solomon Islands."
One man said people in his village were so unhappy with the election candidates running in their constituency that they have registered to vote for an MP in a neighbouring constituency.
"Leaders must acknowledge people. But for me I have studied most constituencies and they are not doing well. So, when we saw one constituency doing particularly well some of us left our constituency to come and join this constituency."
The lack of residential addresses and people's strong blood ties to ancestral lands across the country means this practice is the norm rather than the exception.
But while many voters are hoping electing good parliamentary leaders will bring positive change to their constituencies, change on a national scale will require much more work.
Systemic corruption, high unemployment and poor government services combined with the concentration of wealth and development in the capital, Honiara, and a bulging youth population make Solomon Islands a certifiable ticking time bomb.
Already police have confirmed reports of groups planning violent protests should the election results go against them. But police commissioner Matthew Varley has said his men and women are prepared to deal with any security incidents that may arise in the coming days.
"Not only do we have our officers on the ground in blue shirts around the country on the frontline but we have officers from our police response team and our public order riot squads strategically stationed at locations around the country. Furthermore, we have dispatched our two patrol boats to the east and west of the country effectively to act as floating response platforms. On top of that we have the ability to insert rapid response teams into those locations using our airlift transport support from the combined task group."
Once all of the successful election candidates have been named a complex government forming period kicks into play and can last a couple of days or stretch out into several weeks.
Intense lobbying during this period often sees a total collapse in the pre-election political alliances and party loyalties and the formation of a fractious coalition government held together by money, ministerial portfolios and promises of frequent junketeering.
Once the coalition is established the last piece of the puzzle will be the MPs casting secret ballots to elect the new prime minister of Solomon Islands.
