The Solomon Islands government on Tuesday slammed Australia for offering election funding, calling it an "assault" on the country's democracy and attempted foreign interference.
The Sogavare government also lashed out at Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong for making a public offer when MPs are debating the constitutional amendment bill to postpone the national election for a year, suggesting Canberra was trying to influence MPs' voting.
"This is an assault on our parliamentary democracy and is a direct interference by a foreign government into our domestic affairs," a Solomon Islands government statement read.
Earlier on Tuesday, Wong said the election funding offer reflects Australia's longstanding and historic commitment to democracy in the Pacific.
Australia made its offer as the Solomons' opposition accused the Sogavare government of ruining democratic conventions by rushing the constitutional amendment, which does not provide ample time to scrutinize the bill.
Sogavare introduced the constitutional amendment bill to extend the parliament's tenure until November 2023, arguing that the Solomon Islands cannot afford to hold both major events in the same year.
General elections are held every four years in the Solomons, and the current parliament's tenure is due to expire in May 2023.
The opposition party has been accusing Sogavare of violating the democratic process by not consulting them on strategic matters, including the security pact with China, which was signed in April despite massive lobbying by the US and its allies to block the deal.