Governor-General of Papua New Guinea


The governor-general of Papua New Guinea is the representative of Papua New Guinean monarch, known in Tok Pisin as 'Missis Kwin'.

Name

As in all other Commonwealth realms except Canada, the vice-regal officer's title is spelt with a hyphen. The plural is governors-general.

Appointment

Unlike most other Commonwealth realms, the governor-general of Papua New Guinea is nominated by the country's Parliament, rather than being proposed by its prime minister. The appointment is made by the head of state of Papua New Guinea, Queen Elizabeth II, following a simple majority vote of the National Parliament.
The term in office is six years.
To be appointed for a second term, the governor-general must be supported by a two-thirds majority in the National Parliament. No person may serve for more than two terms. Thus far all retired governors-general have been knighted.
If the office of governor-general becomes vacant, the speaker of the National Parliament becomes acting governor-general until a new appointment is made.

Dismissal

The governor-general may be dismissed by either a decision of the National Executive Council or an absolute majority of the National Parliament. No governor-general has been dismissed from office, although in 1991 Sir Vincent Serei Eri resigned from office after Prime Minister Rabbie Namaliu advised the queen to dismiss him.

Governors-general of Papua New Guinea