That is something that is very concerning - the influence of the (Chinese Communist Party) in this country,
The people here in Malaita don't agree with the ruling government for the past 12 months,
Whatever those results are, whatever government is ultimately formed in the Solomon Islands, we will endeavour to work very closely with them,
Mistakes happen. We are just humans,
We need to vote in members of parliament who do things that are not business as usual,
I’m estimating that late Sunday or early Monday, most of the (national) constituency results should be out,
As things progress to the formation of the government stage and the announcement of the prime minister, we have previously seen that spark violence, and that will certainly be an issue of concern for Solomon Island's authorities and their partners.”
Sogavare is a well-established political actor in Solomon Islands. He's just completed his fourth term as prime minister, so he is very well known in the Solomon Islands,
He sees that as putting Solomon Islands on the map. He sees it as being on the right side of history and possibly the right side of the economy as well. He has also said that he does want to maintain and develop relationships with more traditional partners, Australia and possibly the US,
Holding the elections and getting the results of the elections is only the first step,
The reason the world is really focused on this is the switch to China and Prime Minister Sogavare's Look North policy, which has opened the door to China to increase its presence in the region,
Generally, I'm pretty confident that Solomon Islands’ democracy will be maintained through and after these elections,
If there was a conflict in the South China Sea, these would be very important supply chains into the region,
You might find a small subset of the country's voters, particularly the urban middle class in Honiara and also perhaps some voters in some parts of Malaita, who may be paying more attention to international issues in this election than they normally would,
In Solomon Islands, almost all electoral politics is very localised,
For China, they're trying to win support for their One China policy. They want global access and there (are) some very valuable assets and resources like fisheries and minerals in this region,
The results will determine whether the Solomon Islands continues growing its relationship with China or changes course in favor of a different approach,
I want scholarships for my children to study but there is nothing there. I have to tell my daughter she is better off just getting married,
I have to support them financially,
Many times, we run short of medicine and places for sleeping [in hospitals]. We just sleep on the floor,