21 Jul 2010

PNG government avoids no confidence vote by adjourning Parliament

5:54 pm on 21 July 2010

Papua New Guinea's Parliament has descended into chaos after the Government thwarted the opposition's attempt at a vote of no confidence by adjourning proceedings until November.

The Opposition, swelled by a mass Government defection, moved an expected motion for a no confidence vote on Wednesday morning.

But when Parliament resumed after lunch, the Speaker Jeffery Nape accepted the Government's move for an adjournment.

The opposition challenged the Government's numbers for the motion, but the Speaker disallowed the move.

This prompted an outbreak of shouting and arguing, with the Opposition claiming it had the numbers to block the adjournment.

But the Speaker did not call for a division and told the MPs Parliament would resume on November 16.

More heated arguments followed, with an outraged Opposition claiming PNG was being run by a dictatorship.