Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth.
Constitution: May 1978.
Independence: July 7,1978.
Branches: Executive--British monarch represented by a governor general (head of state); prime minister (head of government). Legislative--50-member Parliament elected every 4 years. Judicial--high court plus magistrates court; system of custom land courts throughout islands.
Subdivisions: Nine provinces and Honiara town.
Political parties: United Party, People's Alliance Party, National Front for Progress, SAS Party, Liberal Party.
Suffrage: Universal over 18.
National holiday: July 7.
Flag: Rectangle divided diagonally by a thin yellow line from bottom of staff to opposite top; the lower part is forest green; the upper, ocean blue containing five stars for the major island groups.

Government of the Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth, with a unicameral Parliament and a ministerial system of government. The British monarch is represented by a governor general, chosen by the Parliament for a 5-year term. The national Parliament has 50 members, elected for 4-year terms. However, Parliament may be dissolved by majority vote of its members before the completion of its term. Parliamentary representation is based on single-member constituencies. Suffrage is universal for citizens over age 18. The prime minister, elected by Parliament, chooses the other members of the cabinet. Each ministry is headed by a cabinet member, who is assisted by a permanent secretary, a career public servant, who directs the staff of the ministry.

For local government, the country is divided into 10 administrative areas, of which nine are provinces administered by elected provincial assemblies, and the 10th is the town of Honiara, administered by the Honiara Town Council.

Land ownership is reserved for Solomon Islanders. At the time of independence, citizenship was granted to all persons whose parents are or were both British protected persons and members of a group, tribe, or line indigenous to the Solomon Islands. The law provides that resident expatriates, such as the Chinese and Kiribati, may obtain citizenship through naturalization. Land generally is still held on a family or village basis and may be handed down from mother or father according to local custom. The islanders are reluctant to provide land for nontraditional economic undertakings, and this has resulted in continual disputes over land ownership.

No military forces are maintained by the Solomon Islands, although the police force of nearly 500 includes a border protection element. The police also have responsibility for fire service, disaster relief, and maritime surveillance. The police force is headed by a commissioner, appointed by the Governor General and responsible to the prime minister.
source: http://www.state.gov