Leader of the Opposition (Solomon Islands)

The Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...

(or Leader of the Official Opposition) in Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

is a Member of Parliament who commands a large minority of his peers, united in loyal opposition

Loyal opposition

In parliamentary systems of government, the term loyal opposition is applied to the opposition parties in the legislature to indicate that the non-governing parties may oppose the actions of the sitting cabinet typically comprising parliamentarians from the party with the most seats in the elected...

to government. The title of "Leader of the Opposition" is common to the Commonwealth realms and several other Commonwealth countries

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

, though in Solomon Islands it is specifically defined by the Constitution. The Leader of the Opposition appoints and leads a Shadow Cabinet

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 institution of the same name.The Opposition is formally...

. The current Leader of the Opposition, since March 2011, is Derek Sikua

Derek Sikua

David Derek Sikua served as the ninth Prime Minister of Solomon Islands from December 20, 2007 to August 25, 2010. He is a member of the Solomon Islands Liberal Party.-Career:Sikua is from Ngalitavethi Village in Guadalcanal Province...

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, 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. He or she is dismissed by the Governor-General if he or she no longer enjoys the support of the Opposition.

Article 66 also provides for the Governor-General to appoint a Leader of the Independent Members

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 government nor with the Official Opposition.The position is...

- 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 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.)

Most recently, Steve Abana

Steve Abana

Steve William Abana is a Solomon Islands politician. He is currently Member of Parliament for Fataleka, and was the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition from August 2010 to March 2011....

of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (Solomon Islands)

The Democratic Party is a political party in Solomon Islands.In a country in which political parties tend to be small and transient, and to obtain very few seats in Parliament , the Democratic Party has played a comparatively major role in recent history....

became Leader of the Opposition on August 30, 2010, following the 2010 general election

Solomon Islands general election, 2010

A general election was held in the Solomon Islands on 4 August 2010. In May 2010, Prime Minister Derek Sikua announced that the election would be held on 4 August, however, this announcement was deemed to be premature, as only the Governor General has the authority to announce the election date...

. He resigned from that position in late March 2011, and the Opposition chose Derek Sikua

Derek Sikua

to replace him. Sikua thus leads the current Shadow Cabinet

Shadow Cabinet of Solomon Islands

Parliament	Leaders of the Opposition	Constituency Constituencies in Solomon Islands There are 50 constituencies in Solomon Islands, each electing one Member of Parliament to the National Parliament. Elections are held every four years; the most recent took place on April 5, 2006...	Political party	Prime Ministers
First (1976-1980)	Bartholomew Ulufa’alu	East Honiara East Honiara East Honiara is a parliamentary constituency electing one representative to the National Parliament of Solomon Islands. With an electorate of 30,049 in 2006, it is by far the most heavily populated constituency in the country, being the only one to consist in more than 20,000 voters...		Sir Peter Kenilorea Peter Kenilorea Sir Peter Kenilorea KBE is a Solomon Islands politician, officially styled The Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Kenilorea as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom....
Second (1980-1984)	Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni was the second Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands three times:* August 31, 1981 - November 19, 1984* March 28, 1989 - June 18, 1993* November 7, 1994 - August 27, 1997... , then Sir Peter Kenilorea Peter Kenilorea Sir Peter Kenilorea KBE is a Solomon Islands politician, officially styled The Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Kenilorea as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom....	West Makira East 'Are'are		Sir Peter Kenilorea Peter Kenilorea Sir Peter Kenilorea KBE is a Solomon Islands politician, officially styled The Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Kenilorea as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.... , then Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni was the second Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands three times:* August 31, 1981 - November 19, 1984* March 28, 1989 - June 18, 1993* November 7, 1994 - August 27, 1997...
Third (1984-1988)	Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni was the second Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands three times:* August 31, 1981 - November 19, 1984* March 28, 1989 - June 18, 1993* November 7, 1994 - August 27, 1997...	West Makira		Sir Peter Kenilorea Peter Kenilorea Sir Peter Kenilorea KBE is a Solomon Islands politician, officially styled The Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Kenilorea as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.... , then Ezekiel Alebua Ezekiel Alebua Ezekiel Alebua was the third Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 1 December 1986 - 28 March 1989. He was the foreign minister of that country from 1981 to 1982. He was the premier of Guadalcanal province from 1998 to 2003, and antagonized some people in that area for not supporting moves to...
Fourth (1989-1993)	Andrew Nori Andrew Nori Andrew Nori is a Solomon Islands lawyer and politician, arguably best known for his role in the ethnic conflict on Guadalcanal in the late 1990s and early 2000s.... , then Joses Tuhanuku Joses Tuhanuku Joses Tuhanuku is a Solomon Islands politician and former trade union leader.Having studied at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology and then at the Australian National University, he worked at various times as a secondary school teacher and as a senior lecturer and course coordinator at...	West 'Are'are Rennell-Bellona		Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni was the second Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands three times:* August 31, 1981 - November 19, 1984* March 28, 1989 - June 18, 1993* November 7, 1994 - August 27, 1997...
Fifth (1994-1997)	Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni was the second Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands three times:* August 31, 1981 - November 19, 1984* March 28, 1989 - June 18, 1993* November 7, 1994 - August 27, 1997... , then Baddley Devesi, then Edward Huni’ehu	West Makira North-East Guadalcanal East 'Are'are		Francis Billy Hilly Francis Billy Hilly Francis Billy Hilly CMG is a Solomon Islands politician who was the fourth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 18 June 1993 to 7 November 1994. He represented the Ranogga/Simbo Constituency in the National Parliament from 1976 to 1984, and has represented the constituency again since 1993... , then Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni was the second Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands three times:* August 31, 1981 - November 19, 1984* March 28, 1989 - June 18, 1993* November 7, 1994 - August 27, 1997...
Sixth (1997-2001)	Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni Solomon Mamaloni was the second Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands three times:* August 31, 1981 - November 19, 1984* March 28, 1989 - June 18, 1993* November 7, 1994 - August 27, 1997... , then Manasseh Sogavare Manasseh Sogavare Manasseh Damukana Sogavare was the sixth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2006 to 2007. He has served in the National Parliament as Member for East Choiseul since 1997, and he is currently the Leader of the Opposition.-Biography:Sogavare was Permanent... , then Bartholomew Ulufa'alu Bartholomew Ulufa'alu Bartholomew Ulufa'alu was the fifth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 27 August 1997 to 30 June 2000....	West Makira East Choiseul Aoke-Langalanga Aoke-Langalanga Aoke-Langalanga, also known as Auki-Langalanga, is a parliamentary constituency electing one representative to the National Parliament of Solomon Islands. It is one of fourteen constituencies in Malaita Province. It is also a relatively new constituency, having been established for the Fifth...		Bartholomew Ulufa'alu Bartholomew Ulufa'alu Bartholomew Ulufa'alu was the fifth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 27 August 1997 to 30 June 2000.... , then Manasseh Sogavare Manasseh Sogavare Manasseh Damukana Sogavare was the sixth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2006 to 2007. He has served in the National Parliament as Member for East Choiseul since 1997, and he is currently the Leader of the Opposition.-Biography:Sogavare was Permanent...
Seventh (2001-2005)	Patteson Oti, then John Garo John Garo John Garo was a Solomon Islands politician.He was elected to the National Parliament as MP for West Kwaio in the December 2001 general election. In May 2003, he was elected Leader of the Official Opposition. He was, at the time, an independent MP... , then Francis Billy Hilly Francis Billy Hilly Francis Billy Hilly CMG is a Solomon Islands politician who was the fourth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 18 June 1993 to 7 November 1994. He represented the Ranogga/Simbo Constituency in the National Parliament from 1976 to 1984, and has represented the constituency again since 1993...	Temotu Nende West Kwaio Ranonga-Simbo		Sir Allan Kemakeza Allan Kemakeza Sir Allan Kemakeza KBE was the seventh Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 2001 to 2006. He represented Savo/Russel Constituency in the National Parliament of Solomon Islands from 1989 to 2010 and was most recently Minister of Forestry December 2007 to August 2010...
Eighth (2006-2010) 8th Parliament of Solomon Islands The 8th Parliament of Solomon Islands, determined by the 2006 general election, was the National Parliament of Solomon Islands from 2006 to 2010...	?			Snyder Rini Snyder Rini Snyder Rini is a Solomon Islands politician who was briefly the eighth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from April to May 2006 and has been Minister for Finance and Treasury since December 2007... , then Manasseh Sogavare Manasseh Sogavare Manasseh Damukana Sogavare was the sixth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2006 to 2007. He has served in the National Parliament as Member for East Choiseul since 1997, and he is currently the Leader of the Opposition.-Biography:Sogavare was Permanent... , then Derek Sikua Derek Sikua David Derek Sikua served as the ninth Prime Minister of Solomon Islands from December 20, 2007 to August 25, 2010. He is a member of the Solomon Islands Liberal Party.-Career:Sikua is from Ngalitavethi Village in Guadalcanal Province...
Ninth (2010- )	Steve Abana Steve Abana Steve William Abana is a Solomon Islands politician. He is currently Member of Parliament for Fataleka, and was the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition from August 2010 to March 2011.... , then Derek Sikua Derek Sikua David Derek Sikua served as the ninth Prime Minister of Solomon Islands from December 20, 2007 to August 25, 2010. He is a member of the Solomon Islands Liberal Party.-Career:Sikua is from Ngalitavethi Village in Guadalcanal Province...	Fataleka East Central Guadalcanal	Democratic Democratic Party (Solomon Islands) The Democratic Party is a political party in Solomon Islands.In a country in which political parties tend to be small and transient, and to obtain very few seats in Parliament , the Democratic Party has played a comparatively major role in recent history.... Liberal Solomon Islands Liberal Party The Solomon Islands Liberal Party is a political party in the Solomon Islands, which was led by Bartholomew Ulufa'alu from its founding in 1988 until Ulufa’alu’s death in May 2007. Prior to the 1997 elections it formed the Solomon Islands Alliance for Change along with several other parties...	Danny Philip Danny Philip Danny Philip is a politician and diplomat from the Solomon Islands. He is the current Prime Minister, who came into office after the 2010 general election. He served as foreign minister from 1995 to 1996 and from July 2000 to June 2001... , then Gordon Darcy Lilo

Constitutional provisions

List

See also