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Bougainville heads to polls
Agence France Presse - December 5, 2008
Bougainville residents are poised to elect a new president in a vote widely seen as a referendum on a controversial deal concerning the island's vast natural resources.
Polls open on Saturday on the autonomous Papua New Guinea island to elect a replacement for late president Joseph Kabui, who died from a heart attack in June.
There is no clear favourite in the by-election, but two main contenders are at odds over a controversial deal Kabui struck, just weeks before his death, with Australian businessman Lindsay Semple.
Under the deal Canadian-based company Invincible Resources, headed by Semple, was given exclusive rights to mineral exploration on Bougainville, outside interests held by Rio Tinto.
Presidential contender and former Bougainville Revolutionary Army commander Sam Kauona is in favour of the Invincible deal.
Kauona was instrumental in the deal and has brushed off criticisms that it is overly generous and will rob Bougainville of much of its wealth.
But Kauona's opponent, former PNG mining minister Sam Akoita, is adamant the deal is no good and says most Bougainville people oppose it.
Deals aside, Akoita said his main concern was returning stable leadership to Bougainville. "Everybody is excited, people want a new leader and leadership," he said.
"They want to see a leader fulfil the Bougainville Peace agreement, they want leadership of the government and the people, so development can come."
Kauona said security, lasting peace and prosperity were Bougainville's primary challenge. "We the people of central Bougainville have an unfinished task," Kauona said.
"We have to make Bougainville safe once again by putting out the fire we started. We have to get rid of the guns and the lawlessness especially in the south and central provinces."
Other presidential candidates include James Tanis, who was a key broker in the 2001 Bougainville peace deal that ended a long-running civil war. Former Bougainville parliamentary speaker Nick Peniai is also in the race.
In all 14 men are vying to become president. Election officers say there has been a large increase in voter enrolments. A result is expected by the end of this month.
The election is being held under Bougainville's constitution, as the island heads towards 2015 when residents will vote on total independence.
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