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Papua New Guinea - Politics

The political life of Papua New Guinea is one of diversity and is characterised by a tradition of fluid coalitions. A large number of candidates (more than 2,000 in 1997) contest the 109 seats at general elections, and the consequent low number of votes required to win seats means there is a high turnover of MPs. Allegiances are fragile and MPs often change parties more than once during the life of a parliament. Prime ministers have tended not to serve out a full term between elections, though they have often returned to power later.

Paias Wingti was returned at the elections of 1992. The law was amended as from June 1992 to extend the period between no-confidence motions to 18 months in an attempt to increase political stability. Sir Julius Chan again became prime minister in 1994, following a leadership challenge and Supreme Court ruling.

In early 1997 the government dispatched foreign mercenaries to Bougainville. The defence force rounded up and expelled the mercenaries and called for the prime minister’s resignation. Chan dismissed the defence force chief, but the army refused to recognise his successor and Chan himself resigned in March 1997. The cabinet appointed a caretaker government headed by the minister for mining and petroleum, John Giheno.

In the elections held in June 1997, 16 ministers (including Chan) lost their seats and Bill Skate, the governor of Port Moresby, was elected prime minister by parliament after a month of negotiations. He headed a four-party coalition comprising his People’s National Congress (PNC), the People’s Democratic Congress and the two constituents of the previous ruling coalition, the People’s Progress Party (PPP) and the Pangu Pati.

Beset by corruption scandals and an acute financial crisis, by mid-1999 Skate found his political support, which had at best been fragile, dwindling rapidly. In June 1999 he could no longer count on a majority in parliament, he resigned as prime minister in July shortly before parliament started its new session, and Sir Mekere Morauta emerged as his successor.

The general election that commenced in mid-June 2002 was chaotic and violent, with the loss of at least 25 lives, and had to be extended for four weeks beyond the scheduled two-week voting period. Even then six Southern Highlands constituencies could not be declared because of missing ballot boxes. The National Alliance Party (NAP) won 19 of the declared seats, Morauta’s People’s Democratic Movement 13, People’s Progress Party eight, and Pangu Pati six, giving the National Alliance and its multiparty coalition a parliamentary majority and Alliance leader Sir Michael Somare once again became prime minister.

In September 2003, Sir Albert Kipalan was elected by parliament to succeed Sir Silas Atopare as governor-general on the expiry of his six-year term in November. However, in November the Supreme Court ruled that the election procedures had not met constitutional requirements and there was then a hiatus during which first Bill Skate and then Jeffery Nape was acting governor-general, until following another election in June 2004 Sir Paulias Matane was finally confirmed in the post.

Following the parliamentary elections held in June/July 2007, in which NAP won 27 seats, Somare secured the agreement of a further 59 MPs to join his coalition, and in mid-August was duly re-elected as prime minister by parliament.

Bougainville: In August 2003, when the UN had verified that the second stage of the weapons disposal process had been completed, the amendment to the Papua New Guinea constitution providing for the autonomy of Bougainville and for a future referendum on independence duly took effect. A constitution for Bougainville was then prepared and came into effect in January 2005; elections for the autonomous Bougainville government were held in May–June 2005 with Commonwealth and other international experts present, and Bougainville People’s Congress leader Joseph Kabui became president of the semi-autonomous province.