Voters in the Solomon Islands on Wednesday flocked to cast their ballots in the parliamentary election of the South Pacific island country.
The polling stations across the country opened at 07:00 local time (2100 GMT on Tuesday) and closed at 16:00 (0600 GMT).
A total of 334 candidates are vying for 50 seats in the parliamentary election. Party-affiliated candidates outnumber independent candidates by 219 to 115.
Thirteen political parties are contesting the election of the national parliament. The Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is running as the candidate of Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party, or Our Party.
Voters casted their ballots in a joint election, encompassing both national and provincial elections. A total of 816 candidates are contending for positions in the provincial assemblies and 89 for the Honiara City Council.
The Solomon Islands has a population of about 720,000, more than half of whom young people. A total of 1,200 polling stations were set up in various constituencies throughout the country.
"Also back there in our local villages, they need to improve certain things like the education system for the growing generations. They need to sit and learn in good eduction [institutions] and better facilities. Young people need to choose good leaders in the near future so that they can help improve our country," said Cinderella Nathan, a voter.
The island country has a unicameral parliamentary system, with the National Assembly being the highest organ of power, consisting of 50 members. The newly elected members of parliament will choose a new prime minister.
The election results are expected to be released starting Thursday.
The national and provincial governments will by law be formed within the next 14 days, respectively, by members of the national parliament and members of the provincial assemblies. They will govern for a four-year term.
Solomon Islands voters poll for parliamentary election
People in Palestine have expressed their support for efforts to secure peace by their leaders as the two Palestinian factions have met in Beijing under Chinese mediation.
At the invitation of China, representatives of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) recently came to Beijing for in-depth and candid talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation, and achieved positive progress, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed on Tuesday.
The two sides agreed to continue this dialog process and strive for the early realization of Palestinian unity and reached an agreement on the next step of dialog, according to the spokesman Lin Jian.
In interviews with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the talks between Fatah and Hamas, the Palestinian people in the war-torn Gaza Strip commended China for brokering this meeting, calling for a solution to restore peace and normal life of the people.
"We appreciate the Chinese role, but the problem unfortunately lies in the inability of the factions to find a solution. They must find solutions for us after all this that we have lived through. I believe an alternative body must be found to run the country," said Khaled Al-Mughrabi, a displaced Palestinian.
"We hope that we will return to Gaza soon to live in our cities like the rest of the residents of Palestine. Regarding the news we hear about Fatah and Hamas meetings under Chinese sponsorship, we hope that China will succeed in this role and can pave the way for reaching an agreement that will end these difficult circumstances in which we are living," said Am Muhammad Taima, a Palestinian refugee.
"We hope that it will build on what was previously agreed upon through these meetings in Beijing, and that we will start a new page, especially in the face of these complex political and security circumstances facing the people of Gaza and the West Bank as a result of this aggression condemned by all countries of the world," said Sufyan Matar, a member of the Central Committee of the Palestine Liberation Front.
The internal division between Fatah and Hamas began in 2007 when Hamas forcibly took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah. Since then, the Palestinian territories have been split into a Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and a Fatah-dominated West Bank. Over the past 17 years, the two rivals have reached several agreements and understandings.
The Palestinian Authority is the Fatah-controlled government body that comprises most major Palestinian factions.
Palestinians hopeful for peace as Fatah, Hamas factions hold talks in Beijing
