General elections were held in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea from 6 to 24 May 2010. [1]
In the presidential election John Momis, the former Governor of Bougainville and framer of the Papua New Guinean constitution, defeated incumbent President James Tanis and five other challengers in the election. [2] [3]
Incumbent president James Tanis, a former separatist leader in the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, had been elected president in an early 2008 presidential by-election following the unexpected death of former president Joseph Kabui in June 2008. Kabui's death forced the by-election just 18 months before the scheduled presidential election in 2010. [4] Tanis was elected to serve as president for the remainder of Kabui's term. He sought re-election in 2010.
Voter rolls were updated for the 2010 general election. 134,279 voters were registered to vote in the election. [5] According to the updated voter lists, North Bougainville District had the highest number of eligible voters, with 57,979 registered voters; [5] followed by 48,652 voters in South Bougainville District [5] and 27,648 voters in Central Bougainville District. [5]
South Bougainville remains the most politically unstable region of the island, with fourteen separate, armed militias operating in the area. [3] Violence in southern Bougainville had decreased during James Tanis' presidency. [3]
Seven candidates contested the election, including incumbent James Tanis. [6] The number was down significantly from the fourteen candidates who ran during the 2008 presidential by-election. [6]
Early election returns predicted a tight race between the two frontrunners, President James Tanis and challenger John Momis. Both candidates initially led in early counting. [9]
The earliest results, which were reported from Central Bougainville, gave President Tanis a clear lead over the other candidates, with Tanis' 1405 votes leading all other candidates, including Reuben Siara, who placed second with 495 votes. [10] However, as more areas of the island were reported, Momis was able to significantly cut into Tannis lead. On May 27, Tanis lead Momis by just 268 votes, with 5,226 votes to Momis' 4,958. [11] By June 2, Momis had overtaken Tanis and the other candidates, leading his nearest rival, President James Tanis, by more than 8,000 votes. [12]
On 8 June at 14:30 Momis was declared the winner and president-elect of Bougainville. [13] Momis won 43,047 votes, or 52.35% of the total votes cast in the election. [13] The incumbent, President James Tanis, earned an estimated 17,205 votes. [13] Momis won the popular vote in both South Bougainville and Tanis' home region of Central Bougainville. [3]
Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
John Momis | 43,047 | 52.35 |
James Tanis | 17,205 | |
Reuben Siara | ||
Martin Miriori | ||
Robert Atsir | ||
Magdalene Toroansi | ||
Sylvester Niu | ||
Total | ||
Source: Bougainville News Book 2010 |
More than three-quarters of the incumbent members of the House of Representatives were defeated in their re-election bids. [3]
In his victory speech, Momis thanked Tanis for his service and pledged to continue successful programs by the Tanis government. [13] Momis stated that his administration would focus on good governance, the disposal of ordnance and weapons, education and health. [14] He also pledged "zero tolerance approach" to corruption, stated that less than 25% of incumbent members of the House of Representatives had been re-elected to office due to voter disgust with corruption and mismanagement in government. [15]
President James Tanis thanked Bougainvillean voters and pledged to support President-elect Momis during the transition of government. [13]
Momis was sworn into office as President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville on June 10, 2010, at the Parliament house. [16] Bougainville’s Chief Magistrate, Peter Toliken, administered the oath of office. [16] Momis will hold a 5-year term. [16]
On the day he was sworn in, President Momis appointed Patrick Nisira, the outgoing Works Minister in the Tanis administration and one of the few politicians to have retained his seat in the general election, [17] as his Vice President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. [16] Nisira represents the Halia constituency. [16]
The new government, with Momis' full cabinet, was to be sworn in on Tuesday, June 15, 2010. [13] [18]
Analysts view Momis as more in favor of continued autonomy and continued integration with Papua New Guinea, [3] while Momis' predecessor, James Tanis, supported full independence. [3] During the presidential campaign, Tanis had stated, "There has been a growing opinion that the bottom line is independence. If this mine (Panguna) funded PNG independence in 1975, then it can fund Bougainville autonomy and independence." [19]
Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea (PNG), has been inhabited by humans for at least 29,000 years, according to artefacts found in Kilu Cave on Buka Island. The region is named after Bougainville Island, the largest island of the Solomon Islands archipelago, but also contains a number of smaller islands.
Bougainville Independence Movement (BIM) was a political party in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, of eastern Papua New Guinea.
New Bougainville Party (NBP) is a political party in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea.
Joseph Canisius Kabui was a secessionist leader and the first President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, off the coast of Papua New Guinea, from 2005 to 2008. He was also the leader of the Bougainville People's Congress.
John Tabinaman was the Acting President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea, from 7 June 2008 to 6 January 2009.
Peter Sobby Tsiamalili was the Papua New Guinean civil servant who served as the first chief administrator of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ABG) following successful elections in June 2005. Tsiamalili also served as a diplomat and ambassador representing Papua New Guinea abroad in Fiji and Belgium.
The President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville governs the island, which is an autonomous entity within Papua New Guinea.
Presidential elections were held in Bougainville from November 30 to December 18, 2008. Voters elected the new President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, following the death of President Joseph Kabui while in office, on June 7.
James Tanis is a politician in Papua New Guinea who was elected President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in 2008 following the death of Joseph Kabui while in office, serving the remainder of the term from 2009 to 2010. He was previously the Vice President of the Bougainville People's Congress.
Sam Akoitai was politician from Papua New Guinea. A member of the United Resources Party, he served in several ministerial roles and ran for president of the country.
Ezekiel Massat is a Bougainvillean lawyer and politician. Massat was appointed the Vice President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville by President James Tanis on January 19, 2009. Bougainville is an autonomous region within Papua New Guinea.
John Momis is a Bougainvillean politician who served as the President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea between 2010 and 2020.
Patrick Nisira is a Bougainvillean politician. He was Vice President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville under President John Momis from 10 June 2010 to 22 February 2017. He was reappointed as vice president by Ishmael Toroama on 25 September 2020.
The Bougainville conflict, also known as the Bougainville Civil War, was a multi-layered armed conflict fought from 1988 to 1998 in the North Solomons Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) between PNG and the secessionist forces of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA), and between the BRA and other armed groups on Bougainville. The conflict was described by Bougainvillean President John Momis as the largest conflict in Oceania since the end of World War II in 1945, with an estimated 15,000–20,000 Bougainvilleans dead, although lower estimates place the toll at around 1,000–2,000.
A presidential and parliamentary election was held in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville between 11 May and 25 May 2015.
A presidential and parliamentary election was held in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville between 12 August and 1 September 2020. 440 candidates were contesting the 40 seats in the Bougainville House of Representatives, including 25 competing to be President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. The new government will negotiate the outcome of the 2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, which saw 98.3% of voters supporting independence from Papua New Guinea.
Ishmael Toroama is a Bougainvillean politician who was elected President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in 2020. He is a former commander in the Bougainville Revolutionary Army.
Magdalene Toroansi is a Papua New Guinean diplomat and politician. She is from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, and was Minister for Women from 2005 and 2008. In 2010 and in 2020 she ran as a candidate for President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, but was unsuccessful on both occasions.
Bougainville is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. At regional level, Bougainville elects a President and a House of Representatives. A non-binding independence referendum was held in 2019. In this referendum, 98% of voters voted in favour of independence.
The inaugural presidential and parliamentary elections were held in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea from 20 May to 9 June 2005. Considered fair, peaceful and successful, the elections resulted in Joseph Kabui becoming the first President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.