Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
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.
| Prime Minister of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea | |
|---|---|
| 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)[a][1] |
| Website | https://pmnec.gov.pg/ |
History
The office of Prime Minister was preceded by the Chief Minister.
2011–2012 constitutional crisis
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.
Department of the Prime Minister
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]
List of prime ministers of Papua New Guinea (1975–present)
| 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, 227 days | Pangu Pati | |
See also
Notes
References
- ^ "Salaries and Remuneration Commission – Determinations – 2015" (PDF). parliament.gov.pg. Papua New Guinea National Parliament. 15 January 2015.
- ^ "Department of Prime Minister and NEC". Destination PNG. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Background Note: Papua New Guinea". US State Department. April 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dorney, Sean (2001). Papua New Guinea: people, politics and history since 1975. ABC Books. ISBN 0-7333-0945-3.
- ^ a b c d e f May, R.J. (2001). State and society in Papua New Guinea: the first twenty five years. Crawford House Publishing. ISBN 1-86333-204-9.