Papua New Guinea’s parliament will formally take up the result of Bougainville’s independence referendum on 27 August, seven years after the region voted overwhelmingly to separate, following an agreement between the two governments in Port Moresby.
The referendum, held between November and December 2019, returned close to 98 per cent in favour of independence. It was not binding, and ratification rests with the national parliament.
What was agreed?
Two further documents will be tabled alongside the result: a Joint Consultation Report recording the consultations held since 2019, and the Melanesian Framework, which sets out a path forward whichever way parliament votes. Marape and Toroama will jointly fix a later date for the vote itself.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Referendum held | November to December 2019 |
| Vote for independence | Close to 98% |
| Tabled in parliament | 27 August 2026 |
| Binding? | No |
What is the Bougainville referendum?
The Bougainville independence referendum was held in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, part of Papua New Guinea, between 23 November and 7 December 2019. Close to 98 per cent of those voting chose full independence over greater autonomy within Papua New Guinea. The vote was provided for under the Bougainville Peace Agreement, which ended a civil war fought between 1988 and 1998, but it is not binding: the final decision rests with Papua New Guinea’s national parliament. On 5 August 2026 the Joint Supervisory Body, co-chaired by Prime Minister James Marape and Autonomous Bougainville Government President Ishmael Toroama, agreed that the result would be tabled in parliament on 27 August 2026, together with a Joint Consultation Report and a document known as the Melanesian Framework. A separate date will be set for parliament to vote on ratification.
Where do the two sides differ?
Toroama has rejected the position that parliament may decline to affirm the result, arguing that doing so would undermine the peace process that produced the vote.
Marape’s ruling PANGU Party has said it would support a 15-year transition regardless of how parliament votes. Marape has said any such process would be conditional on Bougainville demonstrating financial self-sufficiency, maintaining peace and stability, and eliminating armed violence and factionalism.
How did this come about?
The referendum was a term of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, which ended a conflict fought from 1988 to 1998 over the Panguna copper mine and the distribution of its revenues. The war killed thousands.
An agreement reached in 2021 envisaged independence by 2027, subject to parliamentary ratification that has not happened. The Melanesian Agreement signed in June 2025 produced the framework now going before members.
The supervisory body also agreed arrangements on revenue sharing and taxation covering fisheries, mining, forestry and land, to be settled by 31 December.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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