A non-binding independence referendum was held in Bougainville,[1] an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea, between 23 November and 7 December 2019.
The vote was non-binding, and the government of Papua New Guinea had the final authority of decision on the political status of Bougainville.
[8] In 1988 tensions erupted into a civil war between the Bougainville Revolutionary Army and Papua New Guinea government forces.
[7][11] In November 2019 Raymond Masono, Vice-President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, campaigned that he would plan to reopen the Panguna mine if the referendum resulted in a vote for independence.
[12] The vote was originally scheduled for 15 June 2019,[13] but was delayed to 17 October amid allegations that the national government was slow to provide most of the promised funding for the referendum.
[20] Males undergoing the upe rite of passage were allowed to vote at special male-only polling stations.
[7] An official reported that the referendum went "better than we expected," and that voters were enthusiastic,[25] while observers from Divine Word University said that the voting took place in an atmosphere of celebration.
[29] Following the announcements of the result, John Momis, President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, said, "at least psychologically, we feel liberated."
"[30] Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape acknowledged the referendum results and stated that he would only commit his government to develop "a road map that leads to a lasting peace settlement" in consultation with Bougainville authorities.
Papuan New Guinean officials were concerned that Bougainvillean independence would set a precedent for copycat secession movements in other provinces such as East New Britain, New Ireland, and Enga.
[31] Jonathan Pryke, director of the Pacific Islands program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, stated that the referendum's results were disadvantageous for Papua New Guinea, adding that, "[i]f there were to be a smaller majority, say 55 or 65 percent, the PNG government could have found a way to justify really stretching this out and having a period of negotiation that could last years or decades.
Cave noted that, as with other Pacific countries, Bougainville will likely make pleas to Australia and New Zealand for assistance in developing its institutions while China and potentially the United States may offer diplomatic and economic partnerships once independence is achieved.
[42][43] The Papua New Guinean parliament is to take up the issue in the 2023 session[44][needs update] and the parliamentary committee on Bougainville affairs, which was suspended for the referendum, will resume.