Both Solomon Islands and Bougainville are approaching critical points when longstanding debates about proposals and processes for fundamental changes in political arrangements are coming to a head. In Solomon Islands, work on a draft federal constitution is nearly complete (Yash Ghai and Jill Cottrell Ghai have been advising the Solomon Islands constitution review process over the past two years). In Bougainville, a ‘target date’ for a referendum for Bougainvilleans on the political future of Bougainville (inclusive of a choice of independence) has been set for mid-2019. In both places the processes involved are complex, controversial and potentially divisive, as are the potential outcomes of the process.
