24 Sep 2018

Youths promised cash for registering to vote in Solomon Islands

4:18 pm on 24 September 2018

A group of youths in Solomon Islands have confessed to being offered cash to register to vote in a constituency they are not from.

Solomon Islands money

Photo: ppart/123RF

The Solomon Star newspaper reported the youths claim they were picked up and taken from their constituency in East Honiara to West Honiara and offered $US128 each to register to vote there.

The youths said they were to have received payment on handing over their voter identification cards.

The claims were heard by a group of local observers called the West Honiara Independent Youth who are keeping tabs on people coming to register from outside their constituency.

They group say they have taken note of the names of the cross-border voters as well as the person who offered them money and told the newspaper they intended to report them to the Electoral Commission once the official objection period kicks off next month.

A spokesperson for the group says it is sad to see such behaviour which could be damaging for the future of Solomon Islands.