The PNG minister for Bougainville affairs, Puka Temu, said “the outcome is a credible one” – but asked that voters “allow the rest of Papua New Guinea sufficient time to absorb this result”. The final say will now go to lawmakers in the Papua New Guinea Parliament. The United Nations Resident Co-ordinator for PNG, Gianluca Rampolla said the UN was "fully committed to continue providing support to both governments in the post-referendum process". Results were announced at the central counting centre at Hutjena on Buka island, by Bertie Ahern, former Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) who was appointed Chairman of Bougainville’s Referendum Commission (BRC) which has overseen the referendum process. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Discussions will take place with the Papua New Guinea government to decide when – or if – the transition to full independence can begin. Eleven Australian MPs and observers took part as election monitors during the referendum period, led by Jane Prentice. The referendum voting process is now formally closed. The referendum is non-binding and the vote for independence will now need to be negotiated between leaders from Bougainville and Papua New Guinea. The other option in the vote was greater autonomy from Papua New Guinea. The people of Bougainville, an island group in Papua New Guinea, have voted overwhelmingly for independence. The ABG President, Chief DR JOHN MOMIS was lost for words after the results were declared by the Chair of the Bougainville Referendum Commission this afternoon. This site remains as an archive of all BRC public information regarding the conduct of the Bougainville referendum. Before now, Bougainville is an Island in Papua New Guinea, but citizens of the Island have carried out a referendum which showed a landmark step towards breaking out to form their own country. The referendum is part of the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA) between the government of PNG and the leaders of Bougainville in August 2001. As Bougainville prepares for a referendum on independence, Australia must navigate a policy response that acknowledges the history of conflict and colonialism there, Bougainville nationalism, PNG sensitivities, the principles of the guiding Bougainville Peace Agreement and new geostrategic realities to help forge a lasting solution. A 40-day petition period passed without any complaint lodged, and international observer groups declared the referendum credible, transparent, and inclusive. According to the official results from the referendum, almost 98 percent of the 181,067 votes cast backed independence in the non-binding poll. We have not learnt enough. At Wednesday's event held to announce the referendum results, Puka Temu, the national government's minister for Bougainville affairs, said the government is committed to the spirit of the peace agreement, but pleaded for patience from the people of Bougainville… "The biggest task begins today," he said. The two-week referendum period began on November 23 and closed on December 7. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The 2019 Bougainville referendum offered valuable lessons for future elections, Kerryn Baker and Thiago Oppermann write. The Bougainville Referendum is a key part of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, which was signed in 2001. Members of the Bougainville Women's Federation celebrate the referendum result on Wednesday. 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