The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) is the government of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
The government was established in 2000 following a peace agreement between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) a guerrilla movement.
The Constitution of Bougainville specifies that the Autonomous Bougainville Government shall consist of three branches:,
- Executive - the Bougainville Executive Council led by a President.
- Legislative - the Bougainville House of Representatives (39 elected members and 2 ex officio members).
- Judicial - the Bougainville Courts including a Supreme Court and High Court.
Elections for the first Autonomous Government were held in May and June 2005; Joseph Kabui was elected President, with Joseph Watawi selected by the House of Representatives as Vice-President.
Famous quotes containing the words autonomous and/or government:
“Without free, self-respecting, and autonomous citizens there can be no free and independent nations. Without internal peace, that is, peace among citizens and between the citizens and the state, there can be no guarantee of external peace.”
—Václav Havel (b. 1936)
“In using the strong hand, as now compelled to do, the government has a difficult duty to perform. At the very best, it will by turns do both too little and too much. It can properly have no motive of revenge, no purpose to punish merely for punishment’s sake. While we must, by all available means, prevent the overthrow of the government, we should avoid planting and cultivating too many thorns in the bosom of society.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)