Bougainville Referendum Results : ‘We are reborn’: Bougainville votes 97.7 % for independence from Papua New Guinea ” That’s my dream, to go and rebuild, We need the best policies, the best laws, to be the best country. A majority of voters selected independence, at 97.7 percent of the vote, with less than 3 percent of voters choosing greater autonomy. With 87.4 percent* turnout, voting in the Bougainville referendum – conducted from November 23 through December 7 – concluded with the announcement of results on December 11. Referendum is one of the pillars of the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA). FILE PHOTO: Residents hold a Bougainville flag at a polling station during a non-binding independence referendum in Arawa, on the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville November 26, 2019. The referendum was approved by the Papua New Guinea government, but the result is non-binding. Bougainville votes overwhelmingly for independence from Papua New Guinea in landmark referendum By PNG correspondent Natalie Whiting in Bougainville and staff Posted December 11, … 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 referendum on Bougainville’s political future to be held amongst Bougainvilleans 10-15 years after the establishment … While the referendum is not outcome-determining, the results will

Nevertheless, the landslide victory will put pressure on PNG to grant Bougainville independence. Bougainville Referendum Results : ‘We are reborn’: Bougainville votes 97.7 % for independence from Papua New Guinea ” That’s my dream, to go and rebuild, We need the best policies, the best laws, to be the best country. Under either possible result of the referendum, Bougainville will at the very least move to a ‘greater autonomy’ status within PNG, and will need to develop its economic self-reliance and institutional capacity.