Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
The prime minister of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea is Papua New Guinea's head of government, elected by the National Parliament and formally appointed by the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea. The prime minister serves as the head of his party, the head of the coalition government, and the chairman of the National Executive Council.
Constitutional basis
The prime minister is chosen by the National Parliament and then formally appointed by the governor-general. Section 142 of the Constitution of Papua New Guinea provides for the election of a prime minister to occur at the first meeting of parliament after a general election. In the event of a vacancy in the office, the Speaker of [the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea|speaker of the national parliament] must immediately call a meeting of parliament if it is not in session and proceed to the election of a new prime minister.Where the parliament passes a motion of no confidence in the prime minister in accordance with section 145 of the constitution, the governor-general must dismiss the prime minister from office. The prime minister may also be removed by the governor-general if the parliament determines they are unfit for office on health grounds, or may resign voluntarily in accordance with section 146 of the constitution.
History
The office of Prime Minister was preceded by the Chief Minister of Papua and New Guinea.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.Office
The office of the prime minister and other key government offices were initially located in Konedobu before being relocated to Waigani shortly after independence in 1975. Since April 2024, the Prime Minister's Office has been located at the newly-constructed Melanesia Haus, located opposite the main entrance to the National Parliament House.List of prime ministers of Papua New Guinea (1975–present)
; Political parties; Status