Papua New Guinea · Constitution
Constitution of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 15 August 1975 and in force from independence on 16 September 1975. It opens with five National Goals and Directive Principles, including integral human development and Papua New Guinean ways, which guide interpretation but are not directly justiciable. Division 3 of Part III contains enforceable basic rights, and section 57 lets any person — or the court on its own initiative — bring proceedings to enforce them. Constitutional amendments require an absolute majority and, for entrenched provisions, a two-thirds or three-quarters vote at two separate sittings.
The constitutional text
Adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 15 August 1975 and in force from independence on 16 September 1975. It opens with five National Goals and Directive Principles, including integral human development and Papua New Guinean ways, which guide interpretation but are not directly justiciable. Division 3 of Part III contains enforceable basic rights, and section 57 lets any person — or the court on its own initiative — bring proceedings to enforce them. Constitutional amendments require an absolute majority and, for entrenched provisions, a two-thirds or three-quarters vote at two separate sittings.
Separation of powers
Decentralised but not federal. Twenty-two provinces, including the National Capital District, have provincial governments with limited legislative power under the Organic Law on Provincial Governments and Local-level Governments 1995. The Autonomous Region of Bougainville has a distinct constitutional status: its 2019 non-binding referendum returned 97.7% for independence, and the Constitution was amended in 2024 to provide a ratification pathway.
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