REPRESENTATIVES of political parties have gathered to discuss electoral systems which could be adopted in the Solomon Islands.
Leadership of all registered political parties meet at the Heritage Park Hotel yesterday to discuss how different electoral systems could work in the Solomon Islands context.
Chairman of the Political Parties Commission Sir Paul Tovua opened the conference, highlighting the importance of political parties in any proposed reforms.
“The government is considering various reforms to the electoral and political parties system which may see changes to the Electoral Act and the Political Parties Act,” he said.
“The political parties are key actors in our electoral framework and therefore, their consideration on any proposed changes to our electoral system is vital,” Sir Paul added.
The meeting of political parties follows on from a dialogue for Members of Parliament that was held on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
The meeting is an opportunity for political parties to consider not just different electoral systems, but how electoral reform may impact upon political parties.
“We already have a formal system in place to provide for the registration of political parties, but it is a young system and much more needs to be done before its true impact can be realised in the country and before political parties can become strong organisations capable of supporting stable political leadership,” Sir Paul said.
“One way to achieve this is to improve the way we conduct elections.”
On day one of the dialogue, International Elections Expert Andrew Ellis delivered a presentation summarising the different election systems that are in use around the world, pointing out their strengths and weaknesses.
Sir Paul highlighted that it is critical that if a change is to be made to the voting system, it must be the right system for the Solomon Islands context.
“Whatever system we introduce, of fundamental importance is that our country grows and matures politically,” he said.
“We need to give great consideration to the processes for electing our leaders and the credibility of our political parties and elected MPs.”
Following the completion of the dialogues, feedback from both Members of Parliament and political party leaders will inform upcoming national consultations on election systems.
UNDP’s Strengthening the Electoral Cycle in Solomon Islands Project, the Australian Government and the European Union are supporting the dialogues.
