Sir Francis Billy Hilly (born 20 July 1948)CV on Hilly Parliament.gov.sb is a
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...
National Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
from 1976 to 1984, and has represented the constituency again since 1993.List of members of the First Parliament (see also the lists for each subsequent Parliament). Hilly has been Minister of Commerce, Industry and Employment since December 2007.Joanna Sireheti and Joy Basi "Prime Minister Sikua Unveil Cabinet" ''Solomon Times Online'', 22 December 2007.
Hilly was elected to the First Parliament in 1976 and was re-elected in 1980 to the Second Parliament, which sat until 1984. He returned to Parliament in May 1993 and has been re-elected in every election since: in August 1997, December 2001, and April 2006. He was appointed Prime Minister after the 1993 election, but in October 1994 resigned after not having sufficient support in the Parliament.
After serving as Prime Minister, he was
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
from 1994 to 1995. He was one of two candidates nominated by the government for the position of Prime Minister in June 2000, but the opposition's candidate,
Manasseh Sogavare
Manasseh Damukana Sogavare (born 17 January 1955) is the sixth and current Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, serving since 24 April 2019. He previously held the office in 2000–2001, 2006—2007 and 2014–2017; in all he has served over ni ...
, was elected. In July 2004 he became Leader of the Opposition again, receiving five votes from the eight members of the opposition who were present and defeating the other candidate for the position, Alfred Sasako. Following his election, he said that, unlike the two previous Opposition Leaders, he would not cross the floor to join the government, stressing the importance of the role of Opposition Leader. He remained Leader of the Opposition until 4 April 2006.
Hilly opposed the election of
Manasseh Sogavare
Manasseh Damukana Sogavare (born 17 January 1955) is the sixth and current Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, serving since 24 April 2019. He previously held the office in 2000–2001, 2006—2007 and 2014–2017; in all he has served over ni ...
. However, in August 2006 he was dismissed from that position, a decision that he said was primarily due to an agreement between his National Party and the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in 2005; the Solomon Islands recognises the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
(Taiwan).
He has also served for periods as Minister for Home Affairs and as Minister for Health and Medical Services and Deputy Prime Minister. In Parliament, he was Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from 15 November 2004 to 5 December 2005 and became Chairman of the Parliamentary House Committee on 10 May 2006.
After Sogavare was defeated in a no-confidence vote in December 2007, Hilly again became Minister of Commerce, Industry and Employment under Prime Minister
Minister of Finance of the Solomon Islands
The Ministry of Finance and Treasury is a government ministry of the Solomon Islands responsible for public finances. The ministry is located in Honiara.
Ministers
*Willie Betu, 1975-1976
*Benedict Kinika, 1976-1981
*Bartholomew Ulufa’alu, 19 ...
in 2010.
Already
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
(CMG), Hilly was appointed
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...