Bougainville Elections underway

Tuesday, 8 July 2025, 9:08 am

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Simon Pentanu signing the writ to be issued for the start of the Bougainville elections (NBC News)

The 2025 Bougainville General Election is underway.

Writs for the election were issued by Speaker of the Bougainville House of Representatives, Simon Pentanu, in a ceremony yesterday at Parliament House at Kubu on Buka Island.

This year's election is the biggest yet for the autonomous region.

It will see the involvement of 5 new single-member constituencies bringing the current number of constituencies going to the polls up to 38.

These include 38 single-member constituencies and 6 regional women’s and ex-combatants seats.

Issuing the writs yesterday, Speaker Pentanu called for a good and peaceful election.

Commissioner of the Office of Bougainville Electoral Commission, Desmond Tsianai, says the OBEC has a reputation of delivering credible elections over the years, and he wants this standard to continue.

With the issue of writs, the three-day nomination will open today and close on Thursday July 10th.