Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Honiara The American development of Honiara as an army base and war depot turned Honiara into the new capital for the British Solomon Islands. The Catholic population tripled between 1947 and 1957, from 1000 to 3000. The first Holy Cross Church, built in 1947, was replaced by a much larger structure in 1957. The statues of the Blessed Virgin and St Joseph, which had somehow survived the Japanese air raids of the Battle of Guadalcanal, were positioned outside the 1957 church. These statues were re-positioned once again outside the 1978 cathedral; damage caused by bullets can be easily seen on both.
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