In the
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 ...
, the Leader of the Official Opposition is the leader of the largest
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in the
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 ...
that is not in
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
. The title of "Leader of the Opposition" is common to the
Commonwealth realms
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...
and several other
Commonwealth countries
The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 56 sovereign states. Most of them were British colonies or dependencies of those colonies.
No one government in the Commonwealth exercises power over the others, as is the case in a po ...
, though in Solomon Islands it is specifically defined by the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
. The Leader of the Opposition appoints and leads a
Shadow Cabinet. The current Leader of the Opposition, since December 2014, is
Jeremiah Manele.
Constitutional provisions
The position of "Leader of the Official Opposition" is established by article 66 of the Constitution of 1978, which has been the country's Constitution since independence. Article 66 states that the Leader of the Opposition is appointed by the
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
, who chooses the Member of Parliament who is considered leader by a significant opposition group within Parliament. In practice, this means the Leader of the Opposition is elected by the members of the Opposition, and then formally recognised and appointed by the Governor-General. The Leader of the Opposition is dismissed by the Governor-General if they no longer enjoys the support of the Opposition.
Article 66 also provides for the Governor-General to appoint a
Leader of the Independent Members
The Leader of the Independent Members, also referred to as Leader of the Independent Group, is a Member of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands who is officially recognised as leader of a group of MPs who are aligned neither with the govern ...
– i.e., a parliamentary leader of Members of Parliament who remain unaligned with the government or with the Opposition.
List
The following have served as Leaders of the Official Opposition in Solomon Islands. (Given the fluctuating nature of majority coalitions, successful
motions of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
and thus changes in government are frequent during a parliamentary term. Consequently, there are in most cases several successive Leaders of the Opposition during a single Parliament.)
Steve Abana
Steve William Abana (born 1969 in Fourau, Malaita[Biography](_blank)
on the website of the Parliament of Solomon Is ...
of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
became Leader of the Opposition on 30 August 2010, following the
2010 general election. He resigned from that position in late March 2011, and the Opposition chose
to replace him. Sikua thus led the
2011-2014 Shadow Cabinet.
On 9 December 2014, following the
2014 general election,
Jeremiah Manele was appointed as Leader of the Opposition. He held that post until 17 November 2017. In 2018,
Manasseh Maelanga
Manasseh Maelanga (born March 25, 1970) is a member of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands. He represents East Malaita constituency.
In May 2009, he was named Minister for Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening in Prime ...
was Leader of the Opposition. And following the
April 2019 general election, the Leader of the Opposition is
Matthew Wale
Matthew Cooper Wale (born 13 June 1968) is a Solomon Islands politician. He is a member of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands, and was elected to Parliament representing the Aoke/Langalanga constituency on 27 March 2008.
Political ...
.
"Solomon Islands Opposition questions new cabinet line-up"
Pacific Islands News Association, 1 May 2019
See also
* Shadow Cabinet of Solomon Islands
The Shadow Cabinet of Solomon Islands is the parliamentary Opposition's alternative Cabinet in Solomon Islands. Solomon Islands is a Commonwealth realm with a Westminster system of government; the Shadow Cabinet is modelled on the British insti ...
* Prime Minister of Solomon Islands
The prime minister of Solomon Islands is Solomon Islands' head of government, consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the National Parliament. Since April 2019, the prime minister has been Manasseh Sogava ...
* Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)
The Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, more commonly referred to as the Leader of the Opposition, is the person who leads the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom. The position is seen as the shadow head of government of the Uni ...
* Westminster system
References
{{reflist
Leaders of the Opposition (Solomon Islands)
Leaders of the Opposition
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...
Opposition leaders