Start date May 1973 | ||
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General elections were held in the Solomon Islands in May 1973. No party won a majority of the seats, leading to both the People's Progressive Party (PPP) and the United Solomon Islands Party (USIPA) attempting to win the support of the independent MPs led by Willie Betu. A government was formed by the People's Progressive Party and a group of independent MPs, with Solomon Mamaloni becoming the country's first Chief Minister. Only six of the MPs elected in 1970 were re-elected.
Contents
Electoral system
The Governing Council was enlarged from 26 seats to 33 seats prior to the election. Of the 33 members, 24 were elected in single-member constituencies and nine were appointed.
Campaign
The PPP and USIPA were established in the run-up to the elections. A total of 118 candidates contested the 24 elected seats.