Voting starts in Papua New Guinea general elections
Voters have started casting ballots in Papua New Guinea’s general elections to decide the coalition government that will rule one of the South Pacific’s most populous and diverse nations for the next five years
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Voters started casting ballots on Monday in Papua New Guinea’s general elections to decide the coalition government that will rule one of the South Pacific’s most populous and diverse nations for the next five years.
The leading contenders to lead the new government are current Prime Minister James Marape and his predecessor who resigned in 2019, Peter O’Neill.
Polling takes weeks and the composition of the government among more than 50 parties contesting 118 seats will not be known until Parliament next sits in August.
Since Papua New Guinea’s independence from Australia in 1975, elections in the nation of 9 million have been marred by violence, fraud and bribery.
Police Chief Superintendent Joseph Tondop on Monday urged citizens not to sell their votes to candidates among 3,625 vying for election.
Candidates routinely pay poor constituents to vote for them.
Tondop had assured voters that security forces were “ready to make sure this election is truly free, fair and safe and transparent,” a police statement said.
Papua New Guinea is a diverse tribal society of mostly subsistence farmers with more than 800 languages.