Bougainville. Papua New Guinea press review
The government of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB) is planning to delay the regional election by up to two months because of the COVID-19 lockdown. The election was due to start in early June but the Minister for Peace Agreement Implementation, Albert Punghau, says they are preparing for a later poll.
Since last month, Bougainville has been under a COVID-19 State of Emergency (SoE) which the autonomous Papua New Guinea region’s parliament has now extended into June.
The President of ARB John Momis said that a poll in August or September was now possible and also added that the officials needed to assess when it was safe for people to move around.
According to Mr. Momis, the strict social distancing now applying in Bougainville is vital.
It’s important to mark that negotiations over the outcome of their recent independence referendum are not set to begin until the new government is in place.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/414655/bougainville-looking-to-delay-election-up-to-two-months
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/414871/covid-19-continues-bougainville-election-date-delay
https://postcourier.com.pg/illegal-borders-crossers-in-bville-warned-to-stop/