Australia says it will work closely with the Solomons Islands' pro-Beijing leader if he maintains power after the national election.
Counting was due to begin on Thursday after the Pacific nation of almost 1000 islands held national and provincial votes on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, whose cosying up to China defined his last term, is the frontrunner to form government though the 69-year-old has many rivals.
The skilled political operator also needs to buck history in his nation: no prime minister has gone to an election and stayed in power afterwards.
The election has been closely watched by the US and China due to the island nation's strategic location in the Pacific.
The Pacific island nation's election is being closely watched by both the US and China. (Luke Costin/AAP PHOTOS)
Australia said it had a long history with Mr Sogavare and would continue to work closely with him or whoever was elected.
"It's going to be a little time before we get the results of the election, which is perfectly normal," Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told ABC.
"But whatever those results are, whatever government is ultimately formed in the Solomon Islands, we will endeavour to work very closely with them."
Mr Marles said Australia took "heart" from the fact Mr Sogavare had made clear he did not want a foreign military base in the Solomons.
 "That's very important," he said.
Australia and other US allies were spooked in 2022 after Mr Sogavare struck a security pact with Beijing that brought Chinese police to the island.
The Solomons, like most Pacific nations, has no military but local police can request assistance from foreign forces, usually Australia and New Zealand.
The 2022 pact, for which only some details have been publicised, were struck months after major riots in the capital, which particularly devastated Honiara's Chinatown.
The widespread damage amounted to about 6.5 per cent of GDP, with the scars still evident today.
Most of the country's 420,000 voters took part in Wednesday's joint election to decide 50 national parliament seats and eight local assemblies and councils.
Counting was due to begin on Thursday but election authorities will prioritise local seats before the national counts.
Election authorities will prioritise tallying up ballots for local seats before the national count. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)
Security of ballots and ensuring electoral officers could get rest on Wednesday was also an important factor in not starting counting on election night, Solomon Islands Electoral Commission chief executive Jasper Highwood Anisi said in a nationwide address.
Due to difficulties in collecting ballots, votes cast in far-flung areas won't be counted until Monday.
The results will form only stage one of deciding the country's next leadership.
Once results become clear, MPs-elect will begin horsetrading in Honiara hotels to strike a coalition government.
Mr Sogavare was sworn in three weeks after the 2019 election.
This article was made possible through the Melbourne Press Club's Michael Gordon Journalism Fellowship Program.