Sir Peter Kenilorea KBE (born 23 May 1943) is a Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

 politician, officially styled The Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Kenilorea as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...

.

Kenilorea was born in Takataka village on Malaita

Malaita

Malaita is the largest island of the Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. A tropical and mountainous island, Malaita's pristine river systems and tropical forests have not been exploited. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with 140,000 people or more than a third of the...

 island, of 'Are'are ethnicity. He was trained as a teacher for the South Seas Evangelical Church

South Seas Evangelical Church

The South Seas Evangelical Church is an evangelical, Pentecostal church in the Solomon Islands. In total, 17% of the population of the Solomon Islands adheres to the church, making it the third most common religious affiliation in the country behind the Anglican Church of Melanesia and the Roman...

 and a co-founder of the Solomon Islands Christian Association

Solomon Islands Christian Association

The Solomon Islands Christian Association is an ecumenical Christian non-governmental organization in the Solomon Islands. The association comprises the five largest Christian churches in the country, the Anglican Church of Melanesia, the Roman Catholic Church, the South Seas Evangelical Church,...

. As a young man he helped to found the Solomon Islands United Party

Solomon Islands United Party

The Solomon Islands United Party is a political party in Solomon Islands.It was launched in March 1980, shortly after the country's independence from the United Kingdom, by Prime Minister Peter Kenilorea...

.

He became Chief Minister of the Solomon Islands in 1976 and led the country to independence from Britain in 1978. He then served as the first Prime Minister

Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands

The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands is Solomon Islands' head of government, consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the National Parliament. Solomon Islands is a Commonwealth realm. Since August 2010, the Prime Minister has been Danny Philip of the Reform...

 of the Solomon Islands until 1981, and again from 1984 to 1986. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs

Foreign minister

A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...

 from 1988 to 1989 and from 1990 to 1993.

Following fighting between the Malaita Eagle Force

Malaita Eagle Force

Malaita Eagles Force is a militant organization, originating in the island of Malaita, in the Solomon Islands.It was set up during 'The Tension' in the Solomons, which were mainly centred on Guadalcanal, to defend diasporic Malaitans in Guadalcanal and the property of Malaitans that have left the...

 and the Isatabu Freedom Movement

Isatabu Freedom Movement

Isatabu Freedom Movement is a nationalist militant organisation of the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.The movement also included other factions such as the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army and the Guadalcanal Liberation Front which was led by warlord Harold Keke...

, Kenilorea was, along with Paul Tovua, co-chairman of the peace talks, and he became Chairman of the eight-member Peace Monitoring Council, which was created in August 2000. In the Seventh Parliament, which sat from 2001 to 2005, he was Speaker of Parliament

Speaker of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands

The Speaker of National Parliament is the Speaker of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands. The position was established under section 64 of the Constitution of 1978, when the country became independent from the United Kingdom...

.

He was a candidate for the post of Governor-General

Governor-General of the Solomon Islands

The Governor-General of Solomon Islands is the representative of the Queen of Solomon Islands, Elizabeth II. The Queen does not reside in the islands, and so the Governor-General serves as the country's de facto head of state in her absence....

 in mid-June 2004, but he received only 8 of 41 votes in Parliament, placing second behind Nathaniel Waena

Nathaniel Waena

Sir Nathaniel Rahumaea Waena GCMG, CSI, KStJ was the Governor-General of the Solomon Islands from 2004 to 2009.Waena was a Member of the National Parliament for Ulawa-Ugi constituency in the Makira-Ulawa Province from 1984 to 2004...

, who received 27 votes. Following the 2006 general election

Solomon Islands general election, 2006

General elections were held on 5 April 2006 in the Solomon Islands. No party managed to win more than four of the fifty seats, while thirty seats went to independent candidates. A number of those subsequently formed an Association of Independent Members of Parliament, with Snyder Rini as their leader...

, he was re-elected as Speaker of Parliament without opposition in April 2006.

External links

• Sir Peter's detailed biography and chronology on the website of the Solomon Star newspaper
• "Realising political stability". Transcript of Sir Peter Kenilorea's opening address at a conference on "Political Parties and Integrity Reform", Honiara
  Honiara
  Honiara, population 49,107 , 78,190 , is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered town...
  
  , August 30, 2008