Prime Minister James Marape commands the support of two-thirds of the MPs in the House. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Papua New Guinea parliament will resume today to address a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister James Marape and his government.
This is after the PNG Supreme Court ruled last week that parliament must be recalled on Tuesday, 8 April to debate a motion of no confidence against Marape.
The court found that actions taken by the parliament's Private Business Committee and Deputy Speaker Koni Iguan in November 2024 were unconstitutional and in breach of the principle of parliamentary democracy.
The ruling stems from an incident on 27 November last year, when a notice of motion for a vote of no confidence was submitted to Iguan and found compliant with constitutional requirements under Section 145.
However, the motion was rejected by invoking Section 165 of the Standing Orders, which disallows motions deemed identical in substance to those resolved within the previous 12 months.
This restriction came into play just over two months after an earlier motion of no confidence had been defeated on 12 September.
The Deputy Speaker disallowed the motion and prevented it from being tabled in parliament, triggering legal action from Chuave MP and deputy opposition leader James Nomane.
Papua New Guinea parliament in session on 15 February 2024. Photo: Loop PNG / Screencapture
Marape, who commands the support of more than two-thirds of the MPs in the House, said his government would respect the rule of law and comply with the court's directives.
"We are a government that respects the courts. The Supreme Court reads and interprets the Constitution better than all of us, and we will honour its ruling," he said.
With the majority of the MPs backing Marape, he has been able to pass several major constitutional amendments last month, including declaring Papua New Guinea a Christian nation.
The Post-Courier reported that 82 MPs aligned with the government showed up at a caucus meeting on Monday, showing firm support for Marape.
