This file photo dated Dec 6, 2021 shows the streets of downtown Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. (MAVIS PODOKOLO / AFP)
SYDNEY – The National Parliament of Solomon Islands passed on Thursday a bill which will allow the Pacific Island country to defer its national general election from 2023 to 2024.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2022 was passed at the Committee of the Whole House with 37 in support, 10 against, three absent and no abstention, said the National Parliament.
The bill said its purpose is to defer the National General Election of the 12th Parliament until after the Pacific Games 2023 hosted by Solomon Islands. The 11th parliament will end and stand dissolved on Dec 31, 2023.
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The Solomon Islands Parliament consists of 50 members, directly elected from single-member constituencies on the basis of the first-past-the-post system. The Parliamentary term is four years.