Solomons' next parliament undecided but for one factor

Which 50 Solomon Islanders will make up the next government remains in doubt but one thing is clear: few will be women.

The Pacific nation, where rapidly deepening ties with China have grabbed international headlines, held its biggest election day on Wednesday, with 1200 candidates running for seats in national and local parliaments.

Counting is expected to continue in earnest on Friday with a few surprises among the early results already declared.

Martin Fini, the pro-China leader of the country's most populous province, was confirmed to have lost his seat a year after coming to power in Malaita in controversial circumstances.

His predecessor, China sceptic Daniel Suidani, was returned by locals.

The party of caretaker prime minister Manasseh Sogavare also claimed two national seats including that of Fisheries Minister Nestor Ghiro.

Mr Sogavare's seat is expected to be declared later on Friday.

But few victors across the country will be women, having made up a paltry five per cent of candidates in the joint elections.

Afu Billy, who has led the National Council of Women and worked as a consultant across the Pacific and in London, said cultural norms and campaign financing requirements made it difficult for most women candidates to enter races.

"A lot of women are expected to follow what their husbands say," the women's rights activist told AAP.

"Despite the fact it's a secret ballot, the majority still feel obliged."

Women's political representation in Solomon Islands is amongst the lowest in the world, with only six women elected since independence in 1978.

Signs of change appeared evident in the last parliament when four women took their seats.

But two including education minister Lanelle Tanangada did not re-contest in Wednesday's vote, stepping aside for their husbands, ex-MPs.

Stereotyping painted parliament as not a "women's space" and cast women as lesser leaders than men, if at all, Ms Billy said.

"I ran in the early years (in 2001) and it's still not the 'right time'," she bristles.

"It's a lot of excuses."

The Solomons population has grown rapidly since 2001 to about 740,000. The median age is 19, the UN says.

A former advisor to Mr Sogavare, who has also worked under four other prime ministers, said women and girls took part in kitchen table conversations about politics.

But often, they were sidelined when it came to the community and political party level.

"They're coming up in business and education - more girls than boys go through secondary school," Karamui Wilson Bugotu told AAP.

"(But) the space for young girls to engage in political discourse is not there."

Australian political observers for the 2019 election noted the treatment of male and female candidates differed, including a report of transportation providers jacking prices for a female candidate's campaign team.

Attempts have been made to tip the scales in women's favour.

With funding support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Australia, 50 women leaders gathered in Honiara in 2023 for a workshop designed to amplify female voices within the political realm.

"Undeniably, challenges persist, but positive transformation is underway," the UNDP said at the time.

A recent law orders parties to select a minimum number of female candidates.

But a loophole allows parties to fall below the threshold if too few women put up their hand to contest.

It's left two-thirds of national electorates with all-male candidates and one major party running no women in the 37 seats it contests.

A 2019 report found sky-high backing for temporary support measures such as women-only electorates or a "safety net system" used in Samoa.

That Pacific nation since 2013 has mandated its 50-seat parliament must have at least five women MPs.

If too few are elected, the threshold is reached by drafting in the highest-polling unsuccessful women candidates.

Whatever the model, Ms Billy hopes more women like herself can bring a different aspect to Solomons politics.

"Women are saying you can never find another candidate who you can just go to a home, sit down, have some tea and talk about the issues," she said.

"I think it's one of my catch points for both women and men."

This article was made possible through the Melbourne Press Club's Michael Gordon Journalism Fellowship Program.