Ezekiel Massat is a Bougainvillean

President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville

The President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville governs the island, which is an autonomous entity within Papua New Guinea.The first President of Bougainville was Joseph Kabui, who was elected in June 2005, following the 2000 peace agreement which ended the Bougainville War...

 lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. Massat was appointed the Vice President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville

Vice President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville

The Vice President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville is the second highest office in the province, which is an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea...

 by President

President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville

The President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville governs the island, which is an autonomous entity within Papua New Guinea.The first President of Bougainville was Joseph Kabui, who was elected in June 2005, following the 2000 peace agreement which ended the Bougainville War...

 James Tanis

James Tanis

James Tanis is a politician in in Papua New Guinea who was President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville from 2009 to 2010. He was previously the Vice President of the Bougainville People's Congress....

 on January 19, 2009. Bougainville is an autonomous region within Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

.

Massat is a lawyer who has previously served as Bougainville's police minister. He represents the Tonu

Tonu

Tonu may refer to:*Tonu, a rhinoceros-like species of Neopet.*Tonu, Papua New Guinea*Tõnu, an Estonian masculine given name...

 constituency on Buka Island

Buka Island

Buka Island is the second largest island in the Papua New Guinean province of Bougainville.- History :Buka was first occupied by humans in paleolithic times, some 30,000 years ago...

 in North Bougainville.

President James Tanis appointed Massat as Vice President following pressure by the Central and North Bougainville regions for more inclusion in the Bougainvillaen government. Massat was sworn in as Vice President in a ceremony at the Bougainville House of Representatives on the afternoon of January 19, 2009, by senior magistrate

Magistrate

A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...

 Bruce Tasikul. He assumed the Vice Presidency on the same day as his appointment by Tanis. Massat succeeded John Tabinaman

John Tabinaman

John Tabinaman was the Acting President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea, from 7 June 2008 to 6 January 2009.-As Vice President:...

, the former vice president and who had served as the acting president of Bougainville following the death of Joseph Kabui

Joseph Kabui

Joseph Canisius Kabui was a secessionist leader and the first President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, off the coast of Papua New Guinea, from 2005 to 2008. He was also the leader of the Bougainville People's Congress....

in June 2008.

Massat will also be responsible for justice and law within the Tanis government.