Governor-General of Papua New Guinea
Encyclopedia
The Governor-General of Papua New Guinea is the viceregal
representative of Queen Elizabeth II, known in Tok Pisin
as 'Missis Kwin', Papua New Guinea
's head of state
, performing the duties of the Queen
in her absence. The current Governor-General
of Papua New Guinea is Michael Ogio
.
s, the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea is nominated by the country's Parliament
, rather than by its Prime Minister
, as is the convention almost everywhere else. The appointment is made by the Head of State of Papua New Guinea, Queen Elizabeth II, following a simple majority vote of the National Parliament
. For a second term, a two-thirds majority is required. No person may serve for more than two terms.
If the office of Governor-General becomes vacant, the Speaker
of the National Parliament becomes acting Governor-General until a new appointment is made.
.
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
representative of Queen Elizabeth II, known in Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin is a creole spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in that country...
as 'Missis Kwin', 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...
's head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
, performing the duties of the Queen
Monarchy of Papua New Guinea
The monarchy of Papua New Guinea is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of Papua New Guinea. The present monarch of Papua New Guinea is Queen Elizabeth II. Papua New Guinea share the Sovereign with a number of Commonwealth realms...
in her absence. The current Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of Papua New Guinea is Michael Ogio
Michael Ogio
Sir Michael Ogio, GCMG, CBE is the ninth and current Governor-General of Papua New Guinea.He was leader of the People's Democratic Movement party....
.
Appointment
Unlike other Commonwealth realmCommonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s, the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea is nominated by the country's Parliament
National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
The National Parliament of Papua New Guinea is the unicameral national legislature in Papua New Guinea. It was first created in 1964 as the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea, but gained its current name with the granting of independence in 1975....
, rather than by its Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, 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. Since 2 August 2011, the Prime Minister has been Peter O’Neill of the People's National Congress Party.-List...
, as is the convention almost everywhere else. The appointment is made by the Head of State of Papua New Guinea, Queen Elizabeth II, following a simple majority vote of the National Parliament
National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
The National Parliament of Papua New Guinea is the unicameral national legislature in Papua New Guinea. It was first created in 1964 as the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea, but gained its current name with the granting of independence in 1975....
. For a second term, a two-thirds majority is required. No person may serve for more than two terms.
If the office of Governor-General becomes vacant, the Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the National Parliament becomes acting Governor-General until a new appointment is made.
Dismissal
The Governor-General may be dismissed by either a decision of the National Executive Council or an absolute majority of the National Parliament. No Governor-General has been dismissed from office, although Sir Serei Eri resigned from office, due to his dismissal being instructed to the Queen by Prime Minister Rabbie NamaliuRabbie Namaliu
Sir Rabbie Langanai Namaliu, GCL, CSM, KCMG is a Papua New Guinea politician. He served as the fourth Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1988 to 1992 as leader of the Pangu Party...
.
Governors-General of Papua New Guinea
Names in white indicate the Speaker acting as the Governor-General.| Name | Term | Sovereign | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir John Guise John Guise Sir John Guise, GCMG, KBE was the first Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, which gained independence from Australia in 1975. Dr. Guise was a native Papua New Guinean and was a vocal supporter for independence. He served in the Department of Native Affairs during the 1950s, and served in the... |
6 September 1975 – March 1, 1977 | Queen Elizabeth II | Resigned from office to contest election. |
| 2 | Sir Tore Lokoloko Tore Lokoloko Sir Tore Lokoloko GCL, GCMG, GCVO, OBE was the second Governor-General of Papua New Guinea from 1977 to 1983. He was Governor-General during Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee visit to the country, when he was appointed GCVO and GCMG.... |
1 March 1977 – 1 March 1983 | ||
| 3 | Sir Kingsford Dibela Kingsford Dibela Sir Kingsford Dibela, GCMG was the third Governor-General of Papua New Guinea in 1983 to 1989. He was also the second speaker of the PNG National Parliament from 9 August 1977 to 14 March 1980.... |
1 March 1983 – 1 March 1989 | Resigned from office. | |
| 4 | Sir Ignatius Kilage Ignatius Kilage Sir Ignatius Kilage, GCMG was the fourth Governor-General of Papua New Guinea and served from March to December 1989, when he died suddenly in office.... |
1 March 1989 – 31 December 1989 | Died in office. | |
| 5 | Sir Serei Eri | 27 February 1990 – 4 October 1991 | Resigned from office, due to dismissal instructed to the Queen by Prime Minister. | |
| Dennis Young | 4 October 1991 – 18 November 1991 | |||
| 6 | Sir Wiwa Korowi Wiwa Korowi Sir Wiwa Korowi, GCMG was the sixth Governor-General of Papua New Guinea.Sir Wiwa is from the Southern Highlands. He was a member of the Nationalist Party and was voted by the Parliament to the position of Governor-General on November 18, 1991, to fill the position which Serei Eri had vacated... |
18 November 1991 – 20 November 1997 | ||
| 7 | Sir Silas Atopare Silas Atopare Sir Silas Atopare, GCL, GCMG was the seventh Governor-General of Papua New Guinea from November 1997 until November 2003.Atopare is a member Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1998, he was knighted in the Order of St Michael and St George. In 2008 Sir Silas was appointed a Grand Chief in the Order... |
20 November 1997 – 20 November 2003 | ||
| Sir William Skate | 21 November 2003 – 28 May 2004 | Removed from Speaker's role (and hence acting Governor-General) due to financial misappropriation scandal | ||
| Jeffrey Nape Jeffrey Nape Jeffrey Nape, CMG is the Speaker of the National Parliament and twice acting Governor-General of Papua New Guinea. He was elected speaker by the members of the parliament on May 28, 2004, and then immediately became acting governor-general because that office was substantively vacant... |
28 May 2004 – 29 June 2004 | Replaced Bill Skate as Speaker and hence acting Governor-General | ||
| 8 | Sir Paulias Matane Paulias Matane Sir Paulias Nguna Matane GCL, GCMG, OBE, KStJ , formerly a career civil servant, was the eighth Governor-General of Papua New Guinea from 29 June 2004 to 13 December 2010.-Personal life:... |
29 June 2004 – 13 December 2010 | Elected by Parliament 50 votes - 46 on May 27, 2004. | |
| Jeffrey Nape Jeffrey Nape Jeffrey Nape, CMG is the Speaker of the National Parliament and twice acting Governor-General of Papua New Guinea. He was elected speaker by the members of the parliament on May 28, 2004, and then immediately became acting governor-general because that office was substantively vacant... |
13 December 2010 – 20 December 2010 | |||
| 9 | Michael Ogio Michael Ogio Sir Michael Ogio, GCMG, CBE is the ninth and current Governor-General of Papua New Guinea.He was leader of the People's Democratic Movement party.... |
20 December 2010 – |