Papua and New Guinea Union Party Papua na Niugini Yunion Pati | |
---|---|
Abbreviation |
|
Leader | James Marape |
President | Erigere Singin |
General Secretary | Morris Tovebae |
Treasurer | Albert Mokae |
Founded | 13 June 1967 |
Membership (1968) | 2,000+ [1] |
Ideology | |
Political position | Centre to centre-left [5] |
Colours | Green |
Slogan | "Pangu Save Lo Rot" [6] [lower-alpha 1] |
National Parliament | 58 / 118 (2024) [7] |
The Pangu Pati (English: Pangu Party), officially Papua na Niugini Yunion Pati [lower-alpha 2] (English: Papua and New Guinea Union Party), [lower-alpha 3] is a nationalist [5] [3] and developmentalist [3] [4] political party on the centre-left [5] in Papua New Guinea. The party is the oldest political party in Papua New Guinea and has held all levels of government throughout its history. As of 2023, it is the largest party in the National Parliament. [9]
The Pangu Pati was established on 13 June 1967, [10] [1] in order to contest the elections of 1968 (Papua and New Guinea). [1] At the time of its founding, the party stood-out as its ideals were for a political unification of Papua and New Guinea, stronger economic development and to grow the national income. [10] Other parties, such as the United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP), were in favour of Australian statehood. [1] [11] Although the party, and its candidates, were not in a formal political union, there were ten candidates of Pangu that were elected to the House of Assembly. [12] [13] The 1972 election, the last under Australian authority, saw Pangu-endorsed candidates win eighteen seats, with a total of pro-Pangu candidates reaching twenty-six. [14]
Somare later served as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea as the leader of the Pangu Party from 1972 to 1980 and from 1982 to 1985. In 1985, Paias Wingti led a faction of the party to split with Somare, and Wingti won a no-confidence vote against Somare, succeeding him as prime minister. In 1988, Somare was replaced as leader of Pangu by Rabbie Namaliu who served as prime minister from 1988 to 1992. Somare would then become leader of the National Alliance Party.
At the 2002 elections, the party won 6 of 109 seats, under the leadership of Chris Haiveta. After that election, Somare returned to power as prime minister. Pangu became a member of his coalition government, and continued to support the Somare government after the 2007 elections, in which Pangu won 5 seats. [15]
It won only one seat at the 2012 election, that of Angoram MP Ludwig Schulze, but was left unrepresented when Schulze died in March 2013. [16] In August 2014, Deputy Opposition Leader Sam Basil crossed to Pangu and reactivated its parliamentary wing, taking on the leadership. [17] The party's numbers increased to two in August 2015 when William Samb won a by-election in Goilala Open. [18]
Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1977 | Michael Somare | — | 35% (#1) | 30 / 109 | New | Coalition |
1982 | No data | 51 / 109 | 21 | Coalition | ||
1987 | 408,082 | 14.93 (#1) | 26 / 109 | 25 | Opposition | |
1992 | Rabbie Namaliu | 294,738 | 9.33 (#1) | 22 / 109 | 4 | Opposition |
1997 | Chris Haiveta | 237,028 | 5.31 (#3) | 13 / 109 | 9 | Opposition |
2002 | No data | 6 / 109 | 7 | Opposition | ||
2007 | 5 / 109 | 1 | Coalition | |||
2012 | Andrew Kumbakor | 1 / 111 | 4 | Opposition | ||
2017 | Sam Basil | 322,049 | 4.08 (#4) | 9 / 111 | 8 | Coalition |
2022 | James Marape | No data | 39 / 116 | 29 | Coalition |
The prehistory of Papua New Guinea can be traced to about 50,000–60,000 years ago, when people first migrated towards the Australian continent. The written history began when European navigators first sighted New Guinea in the early part of the 17th century.
The politics of Papua New Guinea takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic multi-party system, whereby the prime minister is the head of government. Papua New Guinea is an independent Commonwealth realm, with the monarch serving as head of state and a governor-general, nominated by the National Parliament, serving as their representative. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament.
The prime minister of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea is Papua New Guinea's head of government, consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the National Parliament. The prime minister serves as the head of his party, the head of the coalition government, and the chairman of the National Executive Council.
Sir Rabbie Langanai Namaliu was a Papua New Guinean politician. He served as the fourth prime minister of Papua New Guinea from 4 July 1988 to 17 July 1992 as leader of the Pangu Party.
The People's Democratic Movement is a political party in Papua New Guinea.
Paias Wingti is a Papua New Guinean politician. He served as the third prime minister of Papua New Guinea between 1985 and 1988, and again from 1992 to 1994.
The United Party is a political party in Papua New Guinea. As of May 2019, it has one seat in the National Parliament and is led by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Rimbink Pato.
Sir Mekere Morauta was a Papua New Guinean politician and economist who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1999 to 2002. Inheriting a depressed economy and a fractious legislature, he embarked on fundamental reforms of the country's economy and political system.
Sir Michael Thomas Somare was a Papua New Guinean politician. Widely called the "father of the nation", he was the first Prime Minister after independence. At the time of his death, Somare was also the longest-serving prime minister, having been in office for 17 years over three separate terms: from 1975 to 1980; from 1982 to 1985; and from 2002 to 2011. His political career spanned from 1968 until his retirement in 2017. Besides serving as PM, he was minister of foreign affairs, leader of the opposition and governor of East Sepik Province.
The National Executive Council (NEC), also known as the Cabinet of Papua New Guinea functions as the policy and decision-making body of the executive branch within the government system of Papua New Guinea. The Prime Minister and Ministers serve as members of the Cabinet.
James Marape is a Papua New Guinean politician who has served as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea since May 2019. He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since July 2007, representing the electorate of Tari-Pori Open in Hela Province in the New Guinea Highlands. He has held Cabinet Posts as Minister of Education (2008–2011), Minister of Finance (2012–2019), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2023–present). Marape entered the 2022 elections under the banner of the Pangu Party and won more seats than any other party. He was therefore entitled to form the government. His new government was elected unopposed by the new parliament.
General elections were held in Papua New Guinea between 18 June and 9 July 1977, the first since independence from Australia in 1975. The Pangu Party led by Prime Minister Michael Somare emerged as the largest in the National Parliament. Somare subsequently formed a coalition government with the People's Progress Party (PPP) and several independent MPs. Voter turnout was 60.3%.
General elections were held in Papua New Guinea between 13 June and 4 July 1987. The Pangu Party emerged as the largest party, winning 26 of the 109 seats. Voter turnout was 73.5%.
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Bartholomew "Bart" Philemon is a Papua New Guinean politician.
Samuel H. Basil was a Papua New Guinean politician. He was a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2007, representing the electorate of Bulolo Open, until his death in 2022. From 8 June 2019, to August 2019 Basil served as the Treasurer of Papua New Guinea.
General elections were held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea between 19 February and 11 March 1972. They saw the election of the country's first female MP, Josephine Abaijah.
General elections were held in Papua New Guinea from 4 to 22 July 2022 to elect the members of the National Parliament for a new five-year term.
Sir Ebia Olewale (1940–2009) was a politician in Papua New Guinea (PNG). He was elected as a member of the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea in 1968 and went on to hold several ministerial positions during the period of self-governance and after PNG's independence in 1975, including that of deputy prime minister. He was knighted in 1983 and served as chancellor of the University of Goroka from 2000 to 2006. From 2002 until his death, he was a director of the Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Program.
Events in the year 2022 in Papua New Guinea.