Prime Minister of Solomon Islands

The prime minister of Solomon Islands is the head of government, chosen by the National Parliament. Matthew Wale has been serving in this role since May 2026. Solomon Islands is a Commonwealth realm, where the monarch's duties are carried out by the governor-general, who is selected by Parliament. The prime minister works from an official residence called Red House, located in the capital city, Honiara.

Constitutional basis

Section 33 of the constitution of Solomon Islands says that the prime minister is chosen by the members of the national parliament. The governor-general appoints other government ministers based on the prime minister's advice.

The prime minister can leave office if the governor-general agrees to a no-confidence motion voted by most members of parliament. The job also ends if the prime minister steps down, is no longer a member of parliament, or becomes the speaker or deputy speaker. If this happens, the governor-general asks a current government minister to temporarily act as prime minister until parliament can choose a new one.

Schedule 2 of the constitution explains how the prime minister is elected. Any member of parliament can be nominated, but needs at least four others to support them. The election uses a secret ballot with the governor-general overseeing it. If no one gets most of the votes in the first round, they keep voting in rounds called an exhaustive ballot, removing the person with the fewest votes each time.

List of officeholders

Here are the political parties that have been involved with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands:

• Solomon Islands United Party (UP)
• People's Alliance Party (PAP)
• Independent
• Group for National Unity and Reconciliation (GNUR)
• Solomon Islands Liberal Party (SILP)
• People's Progressive Party (PPP)
• Association of Independent Members (AIM)
• Solomon Islands Social Credit Party (Socreds)
• Reform Democratic Party (RDPSI)
• Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement (SIPRA)
• Democratic Alliance Party (DAP)
• Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party (OUR Party)
• Solomon Islands Democratic Party (SIDP)

List of Prime ministers of Solomon Islands

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Election	Term of office			Political party (Coalition)
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Peter Kenilorea (1943–2016)	1980	7 July 1978	31 August 1981	3 years, 55 days	UP
2		Solomon Mamaloni (1943–2000)	—	31 August 1981	19 November 1984	3 years, 80 days	PAP
(1)		Sir Peter Kenilorea (1943–2016)	1984	19 November 1984	1 December 1986	2 years, 12 days	UP
3		Ezekiel Alebua (1947–2022)	—	1 December 1986	28 March 1989	2 years, 117 days	UP
(2)		Solomon Mamaloni (1943–2000)	1989	28 March 1989	18 June 1993	4 years, 82 days	PAP (GNUR)
4		Sir Francis Billy Hilly (1948–2025)	1993	18 June 1993	7 November 1994	1 year, 142 days	Independent (NCP)
(2)		Solomon Mamaloni (1943–2000)	—	7 November 1994	27 August 1997	2 years, 293 days	GNUR
5		Bartholomew Ulufa'alu (1950–2007)	1997	27 August 1997	30 June 2000	2 years, 308 days	SILP (SIAC)
6		Manasseh Sogavare (born 1955)	—	30 June 2000	17 December 2001	1 year, 170 days	PPP
7		Allan Kemakeza (born 1950)	2001	17 December 2001	20 April 2006	4 years, 124 days	PAP
8		Snyder Rini (1948–2025)	2006	20 April 2006	4 May 2006	14 days	AIM
(6)		Manasseh Sogavare (born 1955)	—	4 May 2006	20 December 2007	1 year, 230 days	Socreds
9		Derek Sikua (born 1959)	—	20 December 2007	25 August 2010	2 years, 248 days	SILP
10		Danny Philip (born 1953)	2010	25 August 2010	16 November 2011	1 year, 83 days	RDPSI
11		Gordon Darcy Lilo (born 1965)	—	16 November 2011	9 December 2014	3 years, 23 days	SIPRA
(6)		Manasseh Sogavare (born 1955)	2014	9 December 2014	15 November 2017	2 years, 341 days	Independent
12		Rick Houenipwela (born 1958)	—	15 November 2017	24 April 2019	1 year, 160 days	DAP
(6)		Manasseh Sogavare (born 1955)	2019	24 April 2019	2 May 2024	5 years, 8 days	OUR Party
13		Jeremiah Manele (born 1968)	2024	2 May 2024	15 May 2026	2 years, 13 days	OUR Party
14		Matthew Wale (born 1968)	—	15 May 2026	Incumbent	5 days	SIDP

Timeline

Matthew Wale has been the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands since May 2026. The prime minister is chosen by the National Parliament to lead the government. The Solomon Islands is a Commonwealth realm, and the monarch's duties are carried out by the governor-general, who is selected by Parliament.