Prime Minister James Marape has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision upholding amendments to Section 145 of the Constitution, saying the ruling strengthens democracy, political stability and good governance as Papua New Guinea prepares for the 2027 National General Election.
The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a constitutional challenge against the amendments relating to the Vote of No Confidence (VoNC) process, confirming that Parliament acted lawfully in making the changes.
PM Marape in a statement said the ruling removed the final constitutional uncertainty surrounding the reforms and cleared the way for the Government to focus on nation-building.
“Today (yesterday) the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Government and in favor of the amendments we made, affirming that there was nothing wrong with those amendments.”
“This technically is the last hurdle clearing the way to 2027,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the decision provided greater certainty for the country’s democratic institutions and would allow the Government to concentrate on economic growth and improving the lives of Papua New Guineans.
Reflecting on his seven years in office, PM Marape said his Government had faced repeated legal challenges and numerous attempts to remove it through votes of no confidence.
“From day one, court references challenging my election as Prime Minister were filed, and since then there have been court cases after court cases and vote of no confidence attempts after vote of no confidence attempts,” he said.
He acknowledged that the political uncertainty had often required significant attention but said the Government never lost sight of national development.
PM Marape said despite political and legal distractions, the Government continued investing in district and provincial development, the Connect PNG program, education, health, law and justice reforms, and policies aimed at increasing Papua New Guinea’s share of benefits from its natural resources.
He said many of these reforms also faced resistance from vested interests opposed to downstream processing and the Government’s “Take Back PNG” agenda.
“We have had to persevere—balancing the work of Government, defending court cases, responding to political challenges, and at the same time continuing to deliver for our people,” he said.
The Prime Minister thanked God for sustaining his Government throughout the challenges and acknowledged members of the Government caucus for their continued support.
“The Government caucus has consistently given me undisputed support,” he said.
PM Marape stressed that the amendments to the Vote of No Confidence provisions were intended to strengthen political stability rather than protect any individual leader.
“Leadership is not exclusively mandated for James Marape. Leadership belongs to everyone,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2027 election, PM Marape urged Papua New Guineans to vote responsibly by assessing leaders and political parties on their integrity, policies and vision.
“I ask all our people: vote correctly, vote fairly, and assess leaders honestly,” he said.
The Prime Minister also rejected claims that Government funding had been used to influence Members of Parliament, saying District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) and Provincial Services Improvement Program (PSIP) funds had been distributed fairly to both Government and Opposition MPs.
“It is simply not true when people claim that DSIP was used to influence Members,” he said.
With the constitutional issues now settled, PM Marape said the Government would intensify its focus on economic growth, job creation, infrastructure, education, healthcare, law and justice reforms, and securing greater benefits from the country’s natural resources.