Bougainvilleans around Papua New Guinea have been urged to enroll for the 2025 Bougainville General Elections, with electoral officials conducting a week-long registration drive in five different provinces.
This comes after the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner (OBEC) conducted an enrolment at the Lae Botanical Gardens, during the Bougainville Day Celebration on Saturday.
Collins Yawing, a representative from the OBEC, said the enrolment is part of a nationwide campaign targeting Bougainvilleans residing in other provinces. He said teams have also been stationed in East New Britain, Madang, Goroka, and Port Moresby.
“We are doing this enrolment to make sure all Bougainvilleans in other provinces must vote in the 2025 Bougainville General Elections,” Mr Yawing said.
The updated electoral roll will be compiled from this exercise and submitted to the Bougainville Electoral Commission Office. It will be used during the upcoming elections scheduled for September 4, 2025.
Mr Yawing clarified that those eligible must be Bougainvilleans by birth. Voters are required to present their names, constituencies, and community government or ward information to help verify their records on the working roll. If a voter’s name is missing, a special “claim for enrolment” form is available to allow re-registration.
“If a voter’s name is not found on the roll, that voter will fill the form by providing his or her personal details and constituency back at Bougainville so we can update the roll,” Mr Yawing said.
He added that enrolment teams are arranged according to the three main regions of Bougainville – North, Central, and South – to make it easier for voters and staff to manage the process.
Mr Yawing said voters can only be enrolled if they will still be in the respective provinces (enrolment stations) before polling day. “If they return before September 4, we will not enroll them here because their names might already be on the roll in the place they transferred from,” he explained. “We are trying to avoid data duplication issues.”
The enrolment drive in Lae began on Bougainville Day to coincide with celebrations that were expected to attract a high turnout of voters. Mr Yawing said the first day saw good attendance, although some challenges were experienced, particularly with voters needing re-enrolment.
The registration in Lae will run thepughout the week till Saturday, at the Lae Secondary School Multipurpose Hall.
Mr Yawing stressed the importance of every Bougainvillean participating in the elections, especially with the political transition toward Bougainville’s independence.
“The world knows that Bougainville is going to be a nation to be,” he said. “The time set for Bougainville to become an independent nation, as we expect from the National Government, is not later than 2027. So this 2025 ABG General Election is very important.”
He called on all Bougainvilleans residing outside the region to take personal responsibility and ensure their names are confirmed on the electoral roll before polling day.
“We don’t want to miss anyone,” Mr Yawing said.