A lot is expected to happen within seven days before VONC next week

Alternate PM Nominee Sir Peter Ipatas and right behind him are East Sepik Governor Allan Bird and Member for Abau Sir Puka Tem walking out of Parliament this morning (Image: Supplied)

As Parliament adjourned for a week in preparation for a possible Vote of No Confidence [VoNC] in Prime Minister James Marape, a lot is expected to happen behind the scenes.

For now, many people are still unaware as to where PANGU Pati and its coalition partners will be camping, and this is also the same for the Opposition.

What is likely to happen within these seven days is the formation of political camps.

The idea of political camps is to physically secure numbers and also prevent MPs from switching sides easily.

Also, within this crucial week, there will be lobbying and negotiations, where both the Government and Opposition will intensely lobby to convince MPs to make up their numbers.

For the Opposition to succeed in the upcoming Vote of No Confidence, they must have at least 56 MPs to successfully remove the Prime Minister.

If they can't keep that number intact, they risk losing momentum when Parliament resumes next Tuesday, the 15th of April 2025.

Both sides have also indicated working with their legal teams to ensure that procedures and processes are followed correctly, and technicalities don't void the motion.

However, in the past, VoNC’s people were aware of where the government and Opposition MPs camped, but currently this is quite different.

The Alternate PM nominee, Grand Chief Sir Peter Ipatas, announced that he will not form a camp.

"I have no money to form a camp, and it's a very expensive exercise. If you think the country needs a good and mature leader at this challenging time, well, I'm here," Ipatas said.

The government camps have also not made known, but from physical presence shown, the PANGU-led coalition government remains intact with 78 Members, with more expected to join during the week.

The Social Democratic Party now has 7 members, following the defection of the Milne Bay Governor, Gordon Wesley. Our Party is now left with 9 MPs, but they have thrown their support behind the current leadership, including the National Alliance Party.

Both sides are expected to meet on Tuesday, the 15th of April 2025, for debate, before the vote is taken.

Parliament has been recalled, after a successful Supreme Court challenge, which was initiated by the Deputy Opposition Leader, and Chuave MP, James Nomane.