The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG; Tok Pisin: Otonomos Bogenvil Gavman) is the government of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
The Constitution of Bougainville specifies that the Autonomous Bougainville Government shall consist of three branches:
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.
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.
A non-binding referendum for independence from Papua New Guinea was held in December 2019.[1] This was in accordance with the terms of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, which requires such a referendum to be held by 2020. There were concerns that the referendum could result in violence due to unresolved tensions from the Bougainville conflict. In this referendum, 98% of voters voted in favour of independence.[2]
Constitutional amendments proposed in February 2020, would see the Autonomous Bougainville Government renamed as the "Bougainville Constitutional Transitional Government".[3]