17 Jan 2011

PNG parliament adjourned until May

5:18 am on 17 January 2011

Papua New Guinea's Parliament will now not sit until May the tenth, meaning for the second year in a row, it may not make the required 63 sitting days in a calender year.

Parliament sat briefly on Friday to elect a new Governor General, Michael Ogio.

Our correspondent, Alex Rheeney, says the opposition tried to launch a motion of no confidence, but was outnumbered by the government.

"Immediately following the election of Michael Ogio as the governor general, the government, using its numbers, was able to get Parliament to adjourn to the 10th of May so parliament has been adjourned to the 10th of May and there's no other business for Parliament to consider. Parliament is likely in 2011 not to be able to meet the mandatory parliamentary days required by the PNG constitution for Parliament to sit."

Alex Rheeney reporting from Port Moresby