Legal System of Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is located in Australia Oceania. It is geographically situated in oceania, group of islands in the south pacific ocean, east of papua new guinea. The country achieved independence on 7 july 1978 (from the uk). The capital is Honiara.
Government Overview
Government Type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm Chief of State: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General David Tiva KAPU (since 7 July 2024) Head of Government: Prime Minister Jeremiah MANELE (since 2 May 2024) Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister Administrative Divisions: 9 provinces and 1 city*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira and Ulawa, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western National Holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978) Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Legal System
The legal system of Solomon Islands is described as mixed system of English common law and customary law International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Constitutional Framework
The constitution has the following history: adopted 31 May 1978, effective 7 July 1978 Amendment Process: proposed by the National Parliament; passage of constitutional sections, including those on fundamental rights and freedoms, the legal system, Parliament, alteration of the constitution and the ombudsman, requires three-fourths majority vote by Parliament and assent of the governor general; passage of other amendments requires two-thirds majority vote and assent of the governor general
Judicial Branch
Highest Court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and ex officio members including the High Court chief justice and puisne judges); High Court (consists of the chief justice and puisne judges) Judge Selection: Court of Appeal and High Court president, chief justices, and puisne judges appointed by the governor general on recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, chaired by the chief justice and includes 5 members, mostly judicial officials and legal professionals; all judges serve until retirement at age 60 Subordinate Courts: Magistrates’ Courts; Customary Land Appeal Court; local courts
Legislative Branch
The legislative structure consists of unicameral
Citizenship and Suffrage
Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Solomon Islands Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Historical Background
Settlers from Papua arrived on the Solomon Islands around 30,000 years ago. About 6,000 years ago, Austronesian settlers came to the islands, and the two groups mixed extensively. Despite significant inter-island trade, no attempts were made to unite the islands into a single political entity. In 1568, a Spanish explorer became the first European to spot the islands.
This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Solomon Islands based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.