Ishmael Toroama continues to extend his lead in the race for the Bougainville Presidential seat. PNG’s Prime Minister, James Marape, has voiced his support and respect for the process ahead and the wishes of the Bougainville people. The final decision will then be ratified by the PNG Parliament. By contrast, the leading opposition presidential candidate, Tundu Lissu, a mere 13 percent, down from 40 percent for the lead 2015 candidate, Edward Lowassa. CANBERRA, Australia, Sep 29 2020 (IPS) - Ishmael Toroama, a former revolutionary leader and fighter during the decade long civil war which engulfed the remote islands of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the 1990s, has been elected the autonomous region’s new President ahead of high-level talks about its political future. Aspirations for self-determination in the region pre-date both the civil war and PNG’s Independence. Read headlines covering the presidential debates, results, and more. IPS is an international communication institution with a global news agency at its core, He has not been a political leader or served in government administration, although he played a vital role in the peace talks which ended the conflict. Bougainville hit the world headlines in 1989 when an indigenous landowner uprising against the then Rio-Tinto majority owned Panguna copper mine on Bougainville Island escalated into a civil war which raged on until a ceasefire in 1998. Laukai claims that “the election was conducted well” and widely accepted as free and fair. “The referendum was a turning point…looking at all the 25 candidates, people were looking for who could deliver and successfully talk about Independence [with the PNG Government],” Aloysius Laukai, Manager of the local New Dawn FM radio station, told IPS. This is an updated and expanded version of that article, fully revised for next week's new Puerto Rico statehood referendum. Acting electoral commissioner Simon Sinai confirmed that the Government had approved K15 million for the by-election and preparations were progressing well in collaboration with the Bougainville Electoral Commission. You have entered an incorrect email address! To give some context, Trump was challenging the legitimacy of the vote count that was posted at the end of the 2020 US Elections a little over a month ago. Mr Toroama has led the presidential count tally since counting began for the top post in the region. Much of the dispute has been disputed over how the profits from the lucrative Panguna gold and copper mine on Bougainville Island should be shared – and over the environmental damage caused by mining. Following an almost unanimous 97.7 percent referendum vote in November of last year for Independence from PNG, the people of Bougainville returned to the polls last month to decide on a new government. Get the latest news coverage, live stream video, and photos on the 2020 Presidential Election. Bougainville, a group of lush, mineral-rich islands in the South Pacific, has undergone little development since the end of a decade-long civil war that claimed the lives of 20,000 people in 1998. He said rumours had been circulating unhappy candidates may not accept the results and there could be interference with the vote count. 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Thailand: Finance Minister Predee Daochai resigns. Former President John Momis, who has led Bougainville for the past 10 years and been a prominent local political leader and figure of stability for more than four decades, bowed out of the race, having served the maximum two terms in office. September 15, 2020. “I look forward to working with President-Elect Toroama in progressing consultations on the outcome of the recent referendum and securing long term economic development and a lasting peace for the people of Bougainville,” Marape said in a statement issued soon after the election results were announced. His victory marks a break with the current administration, led by President John Momis, after the government candidate was eliminated earlier in the region’s preferential voting system. - Terms & Conditions. With counting of the northern votes happening through the weekend, Toroama has established a buffer of more than 2200 votes over second placed Father Simon Dumarinu. The 2015 presidential and parliamentary election was held in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville between 11 May and 25 May 2015. Voting would be for one day for the entire region. [2] “We will do the same for the Bougainville regional seat by-election. However, the decisive result of last year’s referendum is non-binding. Former rebel military commander Ishmael Toroama has been elected president of Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea, election officials said on Wednesday. Toroama’s rivals for the top office included James Tanis, who held the office of President briefly from 2008 to 2010, another former rebel ex-combatant, Sam Kauona, and local businessman, Fidelis Semoso. The new President was a commander in the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, a guerrilla force which instigated an armed uprising following grievances about the environmental devastation and economic inequity associated with the foreign-owned Panguna mine. 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