Solomon Islands female politician struggles to find her place in politics

Despite efforts at policy reform, female representation in Solomon Islands politics remains very low.

Solomon Islands residents view the list of candidates in the 2024 general election. (Source: East Asia Forum)

In a recent article on the East Asia Forum , expert Kerryn Bake, a member of the Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University, sketched a picture of the difficulties of female politicians in the Solomon Islands in their journey to assert their position in the political arena.

Despite eight women being elected in the 2024 general election in Solomon Islands, their political representation remains low.

In the Islands, electoral law requires parties to include 10% female candidates, however, there are still limited loopholes and the reality is that only 4 of the 13 parties contesting the election met the threshold.

Solomon Islands is currently discussing temporary special measures or prioritizing reserved seats for women in provincial councils to reduce this representation gap.

After a 12-month delay, the 12th Solomon Islands national election was held on April 17 this year. For the first time, general elections were held, with most provincial councils and the Honiara Municipal Council voting. For female candidates, the results were mixed.

A total of eight female candidates were elected – three to the National Assembly , two to the Honiara City Council and three to the provincial council. These were all candidates with outstanding personal achievements.

Overall, women’s representation in Solomon Islands politics remains low and current institutional measures to promote women’s political participation have not been successful. It is therefore hoped that new initiatives can provide an opportunity to increase women’s access to politics in the archipelago.

Before the 2024 election, Solomon Islands had only four women in the 50-seat Parliament. Two of them, Ms. Freda Tuki Soriacomua and Lillian Maefai, are candidates again in this year's election.

The remaining female members of Parliament, Lanelle Tanangada and Ethel Vokia, have declined to continue their candidacy and their husbands - both former members of Parliament - will run in their stead.

The decision by half of the female members of parliament in the Solomon Islands to resign so their husbands can run for office carries a powerful message given the underrepresentation of women in Solomon Islands politics. In the 2024 national election, only 20 of the 334 candidates are female, representing less than 6%. Of the 13 parties contesting the election, six have no female candidates.

Ahead of the 2024 elections, the Solomon Islands Cabinet approved a proposal to amend the electoral law to allow for temporary special measures or reserved seats for women in provincial councils. Women’s organizations here have been working tirelessly for years to address this issue. With the new government, implementation of the amendment remains unclear, but the low percentage of women elected to provincial seats in the 2024 general election highlights the urgent need for more action.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nu-chinh-tri-gia-quan-dao-solomon-loay-hoay-tim-cho-dung-tren-chinh-truong-276263.html