The 2017 Papua New Guinea National Elections, held in June and July, copped both criticism and praise — but mostly criticism. Ballot box mysteries, corruption allegations, electoral roll issues, unpaid striking polling workers and localised violence dominated news headlines.

Despite all this, and the many legal challenges to results yet to be resolved, huge numbers of voters turned out to exercise their democratic right, and a government has formed under returning Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

Now that the excitement of the vote itself has passed, what are the implications for PNG’s political landscape? And what are the lessons learned to improve the running of future elections?

In this event a panel of experts will discuss how the vote went, the winners and losers, and the longer-run political challenges that the government may face in its term.

Listen to podcast Speakers include:

• Nicole Haley, Senior Fellow and Program Convenor, State Society and Governance in Melanesia, Bell School, ANU
• Terence Wood, Research Fellow, Development Policy Centre, Crawford School, ANU Ronald May, Emeritus Fellow, College of Asia and the Pacific, ANU
• Bal Kama, PhD Candidate, ANU College of Law

Nicole Haley will provide an overview of the insights from electoral observers, while Terence Wood will discuss election results and issues. Ron May will analyse how the parties fared, who won and who lost, and why. Bal Kama will explore the legal issues facing the new government and the many appeals against declared outcomes. The panel will be chaired by Stephen Howes.

This forum is the second in a series on PNG after the 2017 elections, hosted by the Development Policy Centre.

This event is presented as part of the Development Policy Centre’s PNG Project, which receives funding from the Australian Aid Program through the Pacific Governance and Leadership Precinct.