Chief Referendum Officer

Chief Referendum Officer, Mauricio Claudio, said the practice both identified the voter and their vote – both of which undermined the secrecy of the referendum process.

“We understand that the people of Bougainville have waited patiently for two decades to vote, and that they are excited to finally have their say through this democratic, internationally recognised process.

Mauricio Claudio confirmed that the Bougainville Referendum Commission (BRC) has received further funds last week.

“In the last week the BRC received K10 million from the National Government in our account and a further K1.5 million has been made available by the ABG. These funds are just in time to support the BRC’s efforts to enrol all eligible Bougainvilleans to vote at the referendum.”

In 2019 the BRC has received K18.7 million from National Government and K2 million from ABG towards their revised K27.8 million referendum budget.