The Government of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Papua New Guinea, it was the name derives from the Malay word pua-pua, describing the tightly curled hair of the Papuan people; Spanish explorer Ynigo ORTIZ de RETEZ applied the term "Nueva Guinea" to the island in 1545 because he thought the locals resembled the peoples of the Guinea coast of Africa. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 20 provinces, 1 autonomous region*, and 1 district**; Bougainville*, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Hela, Jiwaka, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital**, New Ireland, Northern, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain, West Sepik

National symbols

Bird of paradise.

The flag

The National flag of Papua New Guinea has .

The National Anthem

Title
Lyric/music

More about the government of Papua New Guinea

Constitution
Date of Independence	16 September 1975 (from the Australia-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday	Independence Day, 16 September (1975)
Legal system	mixed system of English common law and customary law
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
History	Adopted 15 August 1975, effective at independence 16 September 1975
Amendment process	Proposed by the National Parliament; passage has prescribed majority vote requirements depending on the constitutional sections being amended – absolute majority, two-thirds majority, or three-fourths majority
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Papua New Guinea
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	8 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Grand Chief Sir Bob DADAE (since 28 February 2017)
Head of government	Prime Minister James MARAPE (since 30 May 2019)
Cabinet	National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
Election/appointment process	the monarchy is hereditary; governor general nominated by the National Parliament and appointed by the chief of state; following legislative elections, the governor general usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister, pending a National Parliament vote
Election results	James MARAPE reelected prime minister; National Parliament vote - 105 out of 118
Legislative branch
Legislature name	National Parliament
Legislative structure	Unicameral
Number of seats	118 (all directly elected)
Electoral system	Plurality/majority
Scope of elections	Full renewal
Term in office	5 years
Most recent election date	7/4/2022 to 7/22/2022
Parties elected and seats per party	Papua & Niugini Union Pati (PANGU) (39); People's National Congress Party (PNC) (15); United Resource Party (URP) (11); Others (40); Independents (10)
Percentage of women in chamber	2.7%
Expected date of next election	July 2027
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, deputy chief justice, 35 justices, and 5 acting justices); National Courts (consists of 13 courts located in the provincial capitals, with a total of 19 resident judges)
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the governor general on advice of the National Executive Council (cabinet) after consultation with the National Justice Administration minister; deputy chief justice and other justices appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, a 5-member body that includes the Supreme Court chief and deputy chief justices, the chief ombudsman, and a member of the National Parliament; full-time citizen judges appointed for 10-year renewable terms; non-citizen judges initially appointed for 3-year renewable terms and after first renewal can serve until age 70; appointment and tenure of National Court resident judges NA
Subordinate courts	District, village, and juvenile courts, military courts, taxation courts, coronial courts, mining warden courts, land courts, traffic courts, committal courts, grade five courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Arnold Karibone AMET (since 5 September 2025)
Chancery	1825 K Street NW, Suite 1010, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone	[1] (202) 745-3680
FAX	[1] (202) 745-3679
Email address and website	[email protected] http://www.pngembassy.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Ann Marie YASTISHOCK (since 22 February 2024); note - also accredited to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu
Embassy	Harbour City Road, Konedobu, Port Moresby, NCD, Papua New Guinea
Mailing address	4240 Port Moresby Pl, Washington DC 20521-4240
Telephone	[675] 308-9100
Email address and website	[email protected] https://pg.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Kuk Early Agricultural Site