Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Solomon Islands
local long form:
none
local short form:
Solomon Islands
former:
British Solomon Islands
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
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Capital:
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name: Honiara
geographic coordinates:
9 26 S, 159 57 E
time difference:
UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western
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Independence:
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7 July 1978 (from the UK)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
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Constitution:
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7 July 1978
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Legal system:
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mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
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International law organization participation:
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has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Frank KABUI (since 7 July 2009)
head of government:
Prime Minister Gordon Darcy LILO (since 16 November 2011)
cabinet:
Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of parliament
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections:
the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of parliament for up to five years (eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition usually elected prime minister by parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of parliament; Gordon Darcy LILO elected on 16 November 2011
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:
last held on 4 August 2010 (next to be held in 2014)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SIDP 14, OUR 4, SIPRA 3, RDP 3, IDP 2, DDP 2, PCP 1, PFP 1, RUPP 1, SILP 1, SINP 1, independents 17
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Judicial branch:
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Court of Appeal
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Political parties and leaders:
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Direct Development Party or DDP [Dick HA'AMORI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [James MEKAB]; People's Congress Party or PCP [Fred FONO]; People's Federation Party or PFP [Rudolf DORA]; Ownership, Unity, and Responsibility Party or OUR [Manasseh SOGAVARE]; Reform Democratic Party or RDP [Danny PHILIP]; Rural and Urban Political Party or RUPP [Samuel MANETOALI]; Solomon Islands Democratic Party or SIDP [Steve ABANA]; Solomon Islands Liberal Party or SILP [Derek SIKUA]; Solomon Islands National Party or SINP [Francis HILLY]; Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Job D. TAUSINGA]; United Party [Sir Peter KENILOREA]
note:
in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force (MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the Solomon Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003
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International organization participation:
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ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, EITI (candidate country), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK
chancery:
800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017
telephone:
[1] (212) 599-6192, 6193
FAX:
[1] (212) 661-8925
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not have an embassy in the Solomon Islands; the US ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands
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Flag description:
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divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green; blue represents the ocean; green the land; and yellow sunshine; the five stars stand for the five main island groups of the Solomon Islands
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National anthem:
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name: "God Save Our Solomon Islands"
lyrics/music:
Panapasa BALEKANA and Matila BALEKANA/Panapasa BALEKANA
note:
adopted 1978
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