It's Election Time

Just like in the United States, this is election year in Papua New Guinea. On Saturday June 23^rd PNG adults go to the polls. Here is some interesting information about politics and government in PNG.

• PNG has a unicameral parliamentary system of government. So unlike the United Kingdom which has an upper and a lower house, PNG just has one legislative body.
• PNG has a multi-party system. In fact, in this year’s parliamentary elections 46 different parties have a total of 3,435 candidates running for 109 seats with three electorates having more than 70 candidates.
• 135 women are running in this year’s election. Up 26% from the 2007 elections.
• The candidate that wins a province-wide parliament seat is also made the governor of that province.
• Because no one party really has a chance of having an automatic majority, the ‘government’ and prime minister are determined by which group of parties can form the largest coalition. The prime minister is then elected through these parties based on the deals that were made in forming their coalition.
• PNG elected their very first prime minister, Sir Michael Somare, in 1975. He has been elected to Parliament every election year and has since served three more times as Prime Minister. At the age of 76, he is once again running for re-election.
• PNG is a part of the Commonwealth. In addition to the fact that we get to watch cricket on TV, this means that PNG has Queen Elizabeth II as its official head of state. She is represented by a Papua New Guinean who serves in the role of Governor General.
• ‘Free, fair and safe elections’ is the slogan used by the electoral commission in PNG. This is an appropriate wish, as each election year brings with it isolated reports of vote buying, intimidation and even violence. The national newspapers have already reported of one candidate being kidnapped and another killed in the past few weeks.
• PNG is a Christian nation. The PNG Constitution says:
  

“We, THE PEOPLE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA … pledge ourselves to guard and pass on to those who come after us our noble traditions and the Christian principles that are ours now.”

and

“WE, THE PEOPLE, do now establish this sovereign nation and declare ourselves, under the guiding hand of God, to be the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.”

As you hear of your local and national US politics in the days ahead, take a second to pray for the political situation here in Papua New Guinea.