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Bougainville swears in new president
Australian Associated Press - January 6, 2009
Papua New Guinea's autonomous Bougainville region has begun the colourful swearing-in ceremony of a former guerrilla as their newly-elected president.
Former Bougainville Revolutionary Army commander James Tanis officially becomes Bougainville's second president today in a ceremony in Arawa, Central Bougainville.
Bougainvilleans from all corners of the tiny island have descended in traditional costumes on the former capital for his inauguration.
Bougainville went to the polls last month after former president Joseph Kabui died from a heart attack in June last year.
Tanis was born and raised in Panam Village in Lamane, on the border of South and Central Bougainville.
Bougainville spent nearly a decade in the 1980s and 1990s fighting a civil war with PNG after central Bougainville landowners shut down the massive Panguna copper mine.
It also sparked a secessionist movement pushing Bougainville towards becoming an independent state.
Tanis was a key player in forging the 2001 peace agreement but Bougainville remains plagued by infighting and ongoing disputes.
Bougainville's election were considered to have had a poor voter turnout with some regional voting restricted by heavily-armed roadblocks and local disputes.
One complaint was that general elections will be held in 18 months time, when the presidency will be up for grabs again.
Many Bougainvilleans also complained their names were not on election rolls.
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