Solomon Islands prepares for election

China Town in the city of Honiara in the Solomon Islands was burned to the ground after rioting following the 2006 election. Photo / Greg Bowker

The Solomon Islands has beefed up security for the country's national elections, hoping to avoid the kind of violence that has marred previous polls following unpopular results.

A record 508 candidates hope to win a seat in the tiny Pacific island nation's 50 seat-parliament when voters go to the polls on Tuesday.

Vote counting is expected to be finished by August 8.

Later this month, after an intense period of negotiating between the elected members, a coalition government is expected to be formed and the prime minister will be chosen.

Elections are a tumultuous time for the Solomons, a country still reeling from more than a decade of ethnic tensions that in 2003 led to the deployment of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), an Australian-led peace keeping force.

Solomons Police Commissioner Peter Marshall told AAP a mammoth joint policing operation was underway, but police were confident the elections would be trouble-free.

"We're not aware of any issue to cause concern," he said.

"There is absolutely no evidence of tensions, we may have some issues between two candidates but that's nothing to do with anything untoward happening.

"It's quite calm on the streets and there is a carnival atmosphere in Honiara, with candidates on trucks and loud hailers," he said.

RAMSI has added military and police officers for street patrols, local police are out in force and a country-wide liquor ban has been imposed to reduce any possible disruptions.

"There have been weeks of planning for this and after the prime minister is chosen there will be another two weeks of high profile policing," Commissioner Marshall said.

An unpopular election result in April 2006 plunged the Solomons into chaos and violence, with local and RAMSI officials coming under attack.

The trouble erupted when the unpopular Snyder Rini was chosen as prime minister by MPs.

Subsequent riots in Honiara destroyed much of Chinatown and rock-throwers injured dozens of Australian police officers.

This year, more than 60 international election observers will be in the country's numerous remote island provinces, to work with almost 400 local observers also spread across the country's 1000 islands.

Local media are predicting Solomon's Prime Minister Derek Sikua to maintain his leadership but opposition leader and former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare is campaigning strongly.

In April, Sikua sacked five ministers after accusing them of sabotaging legislation that moved to stabilise the country's often haphazard party politics.

The mass sacking was seen as early jockeying and manoeuvring for the election.

- AAP