2010 Bougainville and Solomon Islands Elections:
Observers' Observations

Gerard Finin, Karen Knudsen, Scott Kroeker

Date:    Thursday, November 18th
Time:      12 noon – 1:30 pm
Place:      Burns Hall, Room 3012

The Autonomous Region of Bougainville held elections for President and the House of Representatives in May. In August, the Solomon Islands conducted national parliamentary elections. With support from the U.S. Department of State, the East-West Center's Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) fielded multinational election observation missions to both locations.

The EWC-led observation teams from across the Asia-Pacific region sought to enhance the environment for free and fair balloting, while also learning how elections are conducted in these two post-conflict Melanesian societies. This panel presentation will explain PIDP's approach to observation missions, review the electoral systems in Bougainville and Solomon Islands, and analyze the results. The panel will also discuss how the East-West Center's approach differed from teams organized by other governments and international organizations.

Co-Sponsored by the Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Center and the
Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.
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