Papua New Guinea’s election of a new Governor-General will be held in Parliament today, with three candidates including a woman in the running.
They are the incumbent Sir Bob Dadae, lawyer Stephen Pokawin and former diplomat Winnie Kiap.
Sir Bob, 61, from Dawot village, Sombongan, Morobe, was sworn in as the 10th Governor-General on 28 February 2017 and was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II on 30 June that year.
He graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia in 1995 and served as the Kabwum MP from 2002 to 2016.
Pokawin is a Senior Lecturer of Law at the University of Papua New Guinea.
He is also a former governor of Manus.
Kiap, from Baluan Island in Manus, is a University of Queensland graduate.
She served as Cabinet Secretary before being posted as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2011 to 2022.
Speaker Job Pomat said the current Governor-General’s term would expire next month.
“There will be three options. Parliament can retain (Sir Bob) or elect an MP or a citizen to be the new Governor-General,” he said.
If Parliament wants to retain Sir Bob, it will require two-thirds of the total votes.
For a new person to take over, it will require a normal majority. If it is an MP, he or she will have to resign, and a by-election held for a replacement.