Honiara In the 1960s, Pijin became its principal language, and the mother tongue of a generation of young urban adults and children. Through Honiara the language spread and has since become the main language spoken in the islands. Rhys Richards, a New Zealand historian and former New Zealand High Commissioner of Solomon Islands, spent many years in Honiara. In 1979 Honiara was still a relatively small town in terms of population, especially for a capital city, with 18,346 people, of which 10,870 were men, and 7,476 were women. In July 1978, Honiara became the new capital of the independent Solomon Islands.
2008 East Honiara by-election "Solomon Times" reported that many voters and other residents stayed "around to watch the whole day", viewing the election as "entertainment". The newspaper also reported that the election was "filled with drama, with candidates and supporters accusing certain camps of corrupt dealings". The following candidates finished first, second and third, respectively. Silas Milikada -described by the "Solomon Times" as a "private businessman"- was duly elected MP for East Honiara. Dr. George Manimu contested the result, claiming "corrupt dealings and voting irregularities", unsuccessfully. 2008 East Honiara by-election The East Honiara by-election, 2008 was a by-election for the East Honiara constituency in