The Autonomous Region of Bougainville will hold an independence referendum on 23 November 2019. Independence referendum to be held in Papua New Guinea province of Bougainville Off the coast of Queensland, a historic vote is taking place … Bougainville Votes For Independence From Papua New Guinea In Referendum The Pacific island group called Bougainville voted for independence from Papua New Guinea. But according to research by Australia's Lowy Institute, Bougainville self-reliance would at best be years away. A photo gallery of the referendum can be found here or by clicking on the image below. The Bougainville Referendum Commission (BRC) acknowledged the significance of the election and the decisive steps ahead: “We thank the two governments of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, and the people of the Bougainville for their outstanding participation in this historic process – one part of the Bougainville Peace Agreement. Voters had two options – more autonomy, or full independence. Results announced on Wednesday, had the case for independence backed by 97.7 per cent of the 206,000 registered voters. The Bougainville Referendum Commission (BRC) formally wound up operations in accordance with its Charter on 31 May 2020. The referendum was approved by the Papua New Guinea government, but the result is non-binding. However, the outcome of the referendum is non-binding under the PNG Constitution. In total, 181,067 ballots were cast. Voters mark their ballots at a polling place in Haku, Bougainville. Nevertheless, the landslide victory will put pressure on PNG to grant Bougainville independence. The family who go all out on their Christmas cards. Although there The PNG Parliament will have the final say. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The islands have a population of around 300,000, and 206,731 people enrolled to vote in the referendum. The BPA declares that in the Constitution of the Papua New Guinea National Government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB) is guaranteed a non-binding referendum on Bougainville’s political future to be held amongst Bougainvilleans. The referendum was non-binding, which means negotiations must now be held between the governments of Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. An island group that's part of Papua New Guinea is about to vote on independence. Voters had two options - more autonomy, or full independence. Read about our approach to external linking. As Bougainville prepares for a referendum on independence, Australia must navigate a policy response that acknowledges the history of conflict and colonialism there, Bougainville nationalism, PNG sensitivities, the principles of the guiding Bougainville Peace Agreement and new geostrategic realities to help forge a lasting solution. Most recently, in late 2019, an independence referendum was held with a majority vote for independence rather than continued autonomy within Papua New Guinea. This site remains as an archive of all BRC public information regarding the conduct of the Bougainville referendum. The result, however, is non-binding, and there have been suggestions that PNG may not be supportive of Bougainville’s secession. The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, a chain of islands that lie 959 kilometres northwest of Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, has voted unequivocally for independence. The country is rich in natural resources - especially copper, which has been extracted on a large scale since the 1960s under Australian administration. A decade-long civil war in the 1990s, often referred to as the ‘Bougainville crisis’ (those familiar with the Lloyd Jones novel Mr Pip will recognise the setting) devastated the region. 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