No-confidence vote looms for Papua New Guinea leader Marape

28/5/2024 12:01

        Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape is likely to face a no-confidence motion with parliament resuming on Tuesday, after the opposition party nominated Rainbo Paita, who defected from Marape's cabinet days earlier, as alternate prime minister.
        
        Paita, the finance minister, was among several ministers to defect in a group of 18 from Marape's Pangu Party.
        
        Newspaper front pages in the capital Port Moresby have been dominated by the political drama, which has overshadowed a devastating landslide estimated to have buried some 2,000 people in remote villages in Enga province on Friday, where rescue efforts are still underway.
        
        Parliament sits at 2pm on Tuesday, returning after three months, with a motion of no-confidence expected to be lodged, officials said.
        
        Before the motion can be voted on, it needs to be approved by a parliament committee that sits on Wednesday, the parliament speaker's office added.