Polls close in Solomon Islands but results may take weeks to come out
Updated
Polls have closed in Solomon Islands after voters cast their ballots today in an atmosphere of tight security.
Key points: Australia has sent troops to assist with process despite the end of RAMSI two years ago
Police have promised to deal with any attempts to interfere with the electoral process swiftly
The result may change the country's diplomatic support for Taiwan over China
Voting closed at 5:00pm and counting is expected to begin tomorrow, but the results will not be known for several more weeks.
Security on the ground was heavy with about 1,600 local police officers deployed across the country, as citizens cast their ballots to choose 50 members of Parliament, from 333 candidates and 15 different parties.
Ajilon Nasiu, chairman of the electoral commission, told the ABC he was happy to see Solomon Islanders showing up to cast their votes.
"I'm very happy to see our people are happy to take part in this election," he said.
Australia has supplied a number of defence helicopters to help with the logistical challenges that come with voters on remote islands and 1,041 polling stations.
Military teams from Australia and New Zealand will help relocate ballot boxes from remote locations to counting centres, Australian Defence Force Lieutenant Colonel Corey Shillabeer told the ABC.
Voters have their say
Police reported election day was a calm and peaceful one, with the electoral commission expected to make their first observations at 7:00pm.
A number of voters who the ABC spoke to said they felt reassured by the security presence and did not expect any trouble today.
"I'm happy, today I was swimming in my river, I saw the helicopter flying round," George Vari said.
"Our area has experienced trouble before, but I'm not panicked about it."
Pressley John said he did not believe there would be any disruptions.
"For me, I don't think anything will happen in town, I think we have safety in town, we wont have any problems," he said.
Election official Jude Devesi, who oversees voting in the capital, said there were more than 40,000 registered voters across the city's three constituencies, and he expected a high turnout.
"Despite the movement of people going back to their home province to vote in their home constituencies, we have seen a number of people moving from rural areas to the constituency. We expect the numbers to be still quite large."
Australia and NZ still active in country's affairs
It is the nation's first poll since the Australian-led, 14-year security mission known as RAMSI —the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands — ended in 2017, a mission that helped bring peace and stability to the country after years of ethnic tensions and killings.
Australia remains Solomon Islands' biggest aid donor, dishing up $187 million this financial year, and alongside New Zealand is providing 200 defence force personnel, several helicopters, and navy ships to provide support during voting.
Personnel have spent the last few days delivering ballot boxes to remote communities.
The country's Police Commissioner Matthew Varley said he was confident voting would be safe, but he warned against anyone attempting to disrupt the process.
"I've heard reports that some candidates may blockade access to polling stations in the country in some locations," he said.
"Whether that's true I can't tell you, the police will be paying close attention to that and we will be dealing with it swiftly."
Rumours of vote buying and electoral interference
Authorities are attempting to crack down on questionable campaigning — the night before the poll is known as "Devil's Night" in Solomon Islands.
Candidates and their agents have quite openly in the past given out cash and other gifts like food as they try to shore up last-minute votes.
"Sadly vote buying on Devil's Night has now become a common aspect of elections in the country that people speak openly about it without remorse," anti-corruption group Transparency Solomon Islands said in a statement last week.
Commissioner Varley said the point of the Australian and New Zealand presence on the ground was to ensure that vote buying did not occur.
"My question is 'how much is your vote worth, how much is your voice worth?'" he said.
"Because this is what a person's vote is — the right to choose a leader. If we're going to sell our vote for $200 or a bag of rice ... I think we can do better than that."
Caught between China, Australia and Taiwan
The poll takes place amid a Pacific geopolitical struggle between China and the US and its allies — including Australia — and there's another diplomatic tug of war at play too.
With a population of approximately 600,000 people, Solomon Islands is Taiwan's largest ally in the Pacific, but China's growing influence in the region and the looming election has put its relationship in the spotlight — China considers Taiwan to be a rogue breakaway province.
But Taipei has been a close friend to Solomon Islands, providing substantial aid assistance, including about $30 million in funds that are paid directly to members of Parliament for the sole purpose of developing their rural constituencies.
Still, there have been rumblings that Honiara could switch its allegiance to Beijing after the election, particularly given the nation has strong economic ties with China, which is Solomon Islands' largest export market.
Those rumours have been denied by leading political parties that the ABC has spoken to, but a review is on the cards for the party of caretaker Prime Minister Rick Hou.
Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, solomon-islands, pacific
First posted
La Comisión Electoral de las Islas Salomón anunció la finalización del conteo de votos de las  con el anuncio de los resultados del distrito electoral de Guadalcanal Este. En total fueron electos 21 representantes independientes, 8 representantes por el Partido Democrático de las Islas Salomón, 8 representantes por el Partido Kadere, 4 representantes por el Partido Unido Democrático, 3 representantes por el partido Alianza Democrática, 2 representantes por el Partido Islas Salomón Unidas, 2 representantes por el Partido Alianza de la Gente, 1 representante por el Partido de las Islas Salomón para el Progreso Rural y 1 representante por el Partido Gente Primero.

Ajilon Nasiu, presidente de la Comisión Electoral de las Islas Salomón, agradeció a los ciudadanos la participación y espera que las evaluaciones independientes de los observadores internacionales confirmen la legitimidad del proceso. Durante un mensaje a la población señaló la importancia del apoyo de las fuerzas de defensa de  y  para garantizar que el personal y material electoral llegaran a sus destinos a tiempo y destacó el papel de la policía en garantizar la seguridad de los ciudadanos y las comunidades así como del personal y materiales electorales.

Durante el proceso se eligieron todos miembros del Parlamento Nacional en 50 distritos electorales donde cada distrito eligió un único representante mediante el sistema de . Cada representante servirá por un periodo de 4 años. Debido a la gran cantidad de representantes independientes y a la falta de un sistema de partidos políticos fuertes se espera que la elección del primer ministro y la formación del gobierno tomen varias semanas.

Estas elecciones son las primeras celebradas desde la retirada de la Misión Regional de Asistencia para las Islas Salomón (conocida como RAMSI por sus siglas en inglés) y se consideran una prueba crítica de su éxito. La misión fue liderada por Australia y sus objetivos incluían mantener la paz, ayudar a la reconstrucción del país y crear confianza en la población por las instituciones del gobierno después de un periodo de violencia étnica que se extendió desde 1998 hasta 2003.