Prime Minister of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea | |
---|---|
Praim Minista bilong Papua Niugini (Tok Pisin) | |
Style | The Honourable |
Status | Head of Government |
Abbreviation | PM |
Member of | |
Seat | Port Moresby |
Appointer | Governor-General of Papua New Guinea |
Term length | At the Governor-General's pleasure |
Precursor | Chief Minister of Papua and New Guinea |
Inaugural holder | Michael Somare |
Formation | 16 September 1975 |
Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea |
Salary | PGK346,037 (2015) [lower-alpha 1] [1] |
Website | https://pmnec.gov.pg/ |
New Guineaportal |
The prime minister of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea (Tok Pisin : Prai Minista bilong Papua Niugini) 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.
The office of Prime Minister was preceded by the Chief Minister.
From December 2011, the office was disputed between Peter O'Neill of the People's National Congress Party and Sir Michael Somare of the National Alliance Party; the latter eventually supported O'Neill as Prime Minister on 3 August 2012, thus ending the constitutional crisis.
The Department of the Prime Minister has the task of providing administrative services to the restoration exercise as well as advising the Prime Minister and other government leaders. After a July 1995 cabinet reshuffle by Julius Chan, functions of the department were expanded. [2]
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
1 | Michael Somare (1936–2021) | 16 September 1975 | 11 March 1980 | 4 years, 177 days | Pangu Pati [3] [4] [5] | |
2 | Sir Julius Chan (born 1939) | 11 March 1980 | 2 August 1982 | 2 years, 144 days | People's Progress Party [3] [4] | |
(1) | Michael Somare (1936–2021) | 2 August 1982 | 21 November 1985 | 3 years, 111 days | Pangu Pati [3] [4] [5] | |
3 | Paias Wingti (born 1951) | 21 November 1985 | 4 July 1988 | 2 years, 226 days | People's Democratic Movement [3] [4] | |
4 | Sir Rabbie Namaliu (born 1947) | 4 July 1988 | 17 July 1992 | 4 years, 13 days | Pangu Pati [3] [4] | |
(3) | Paias Wingti (born 1951) | 17 July 1992 | 30 August 1994 | 2 years, 44 days | People's Democratic Movement [4] | |
(2) | Sir Julius Chan (born 1939) | 30 August 1994 | 27 March 1997 | 2 years, 209 days | People's Progress Party [4] [5] | |
5 | John Giheno (1949–2017) | 27 March 1997 | 2 June 1997 | 67 days | People's Progress Party | |
(2) | Sir Julius Chan (born 1939) | 2 June 1997 | 22 July 1997 | 50 days | People's Progress Party [4] [5] | |
6 | Bill Skate (1953–2006) | 22 July 1997 | 14 July 1999 | 1 year, 357 days | People's National Congress [4] [5] | |
7 | Sir Mekere Morauta (1946–2020) | 14 July 1999 | 5 August 2002 | 3 years, 22 days | People's Democratic Movement [5] | |
(1) | Sir Michael Somare (1936–2021) | 5 August 2002 | 2 August 2011 Disputed from 14 December 2011 to 3 August 2012 | 8 years, 362 days | National Alliance Party [3] | |
– | Sam Abal (born 1958) | 13 December 2010 | 17 January 2011 | 35 days | National Alliance Party [3] | |
4 April 2011 | 2 August 2011 | 120 days | ||||
8 | Peter O'Neill (born 1965) | 2 August 2011 Disputed to 3 August 2012 | 29 May 2019 | 7 years, 300 days | People's National Congress | |
9 | James Marape (born 1971) | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | 3 years, 239 days | Pangu Pati |
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 People's Democratic Movement is a political party in Papua New Guinea.
The People's Progress Party is a political party in Papua New Guinea.
The People's National Congress is a political party in Papua New Guinea. Its former leader Bill Skate served as Prime Minister from 1997 to 1999 and as speaker of Parliament from 2002 to 2004. Skate died in 2006 and the party was led by Peter O'Neill until 2022. PNC originated from the National Capital District where former leader was the Governor of NCD and the Parliamentary Member. The party had 16 members in the 113-seat National Parliament of Papua New Guinea as of December 2022.
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.
Don Pomb Polye is a Papua New Guinean politician from Enga Province. He has been a Cabinet Minister under two Prime Ministers, and was briefly Deputy Prime Minister from July to December 2010. He has held Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Transport, Civil Aviation, Finance and Treasury portfolios.
Boka Kondra is a Papua New Guinea politician. He was a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from July 2007 until December 2016, representing the electorate of North Fly Open, variously as an independent, for the National Alliance and for the People's National Congress. He was Vice-Minister for Mining (2011-2012) and Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture (2012-2016) in the O'Neill government. Kondra was dismissed from office in December 2016 after a leadership tribunal found him guilty of misappropriation charges.
James Marape is a Papua New Guinean politician, who is serving 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 highlands. He has held Cabinet Posts as Minister of Education (2008–2011) and Minister of Finance (2012–2019). Marape entered the 2022 elections under the banner of 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.
The United Resources Party is a political party in Papua New Guinea.
Sir Puka Temu,, is a Papua New Guinean politician. He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since 2002, representing the electorate of Abau Open. A former Deputy Prime Minister under Michael Somare, he is part of Prime Minister James Marape's government as a member of the Our Development Party.
Peter Charles Paire O'Neill is a Papua New Guinean politician who served as the seventh Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 2011 to 2019. He has been a Member of Parliament for Ialibu-Pangia since 2002. He is a former cabinet minister and the former leader of the People's National Congress between 2006 and 2022. He resigned his position as prime minister to avoid a vote of no confidence and he was succeeded by James Marape. O'Neill won re-election to the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea in 2022 in the first round with a large majority, which is unusual in the country.
David Arore is a Papua New Guinean politician. He was a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2007 until unseated by a court decision in 2015 and again from a 2015 by-election until 2017. He was Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology under Peter O'Neill from 2011 to 2014.
2011–2012 Papua New Guinean constitutional crisis was a dispute between Sir Michael Somare and Peter O'Neill. Both claimed to be Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.
General elections were held in Papua New Guinea from 23 June until around 13 July 2012, after being postponed by a further week to allow for security personnel to criss-cross the country, particularly the highland provinces. The elections followed controversy over incomplete electoral rolls and a constitutional crisis caused by a dispute over the office of prime minister between Michael Somare and Peter O'Neill.
Corruption is rife in Papua New Guinea (PNG). According to The Economist, "PNG's governments are notorious for corruption, and ever run the risk of turning the state into a fully-fledged kleptocracy".
Sir John Pundari is a Papua New Guinean politician. He has been Speaker of the National Parliament (1997–1999), Deputy Prime Minister (1999), Minister for Foreign Affairs (2001), and currently serving as the Minister of Finance and Rural Development since 20 December 2020.
The Right Honourable Grand Chief Sir Peter Ipatas, KBE, GCL, MP is a Papua New Guinean politician and businessman, and is the current governor of Enga province. Ipatas has been re-elected to the parliament for four consecutive terms since 1997. He is commonly known throughout the country as the "Action Governor". Chief Ipatas is also known as the Father of Free Education Policy in the country. He first assumed office in 1997.
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.
Patrick Pruaitch, CMG is a Papua New Guinea politician who represented the Aitape-Lumi constituency in the West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea in the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2002 to 2022. He was a Cabinet Minister with few interruptions from 2002–2010 and from 2012–2017. From November 2019–November 2020, he was Minister for Foreign Affairs. From 2017–2019 he was leader of the opposition. He was twice – in 2019 and 2020 – alternate PM in unsuccessful attempts to unseat the government.