Enabling principles scores
Papua New Guinea’s politics reflect its diversity, with over 800 languages spoken among a population of around 11 million. This diversity shapes a civic space where traditional structures such as the “Big Man” leadership model and the wantok system often supplant formal governance, further weakening institutions and reinforcing accountability gaps.
The political context can be characterised as unstable due to the frequency of attempts to depose the executive government and consolidation of power. For instance, in September 2024, Prime Minister James Marape survived a vote of no confidence, only to have another motion of no confidence lodged later that same year. In March 2025, parliament amended the Constitution to grant an 18‑month grace period for any prime minister who survives a vote of no confidence, thus, consolidating Marape’s position until the 2027 elections. The same sitting also amended the Constitution to declare PNG a Christian nation, a move limited to the preamble but strongly opposed by the Catholic Church, warning it could undermine constitutional guarantees of freedom of thought and religion.
Over the last year, the PNG Opposition has been vocal and increasingly critical of decisions made by the PNG Government on several issues including census financing, election preparedness, and capital infrastructure projects. Since his appointment as Opposition leader on 1st December 2025, James Nomane has set out plans to challenge the government, beginning with the review of the national budget.
Security concerns continue to weigh heavily. The January 2024 riots, triggered by a payroll glitch affecting police salaries, exposed the fragility of state authority. Sporadic violence and kidnappings in the Highlands, alongside the spread of illegal firearms across the PNG – Indonesian border, have further eroded public trust in law enforcement.
Persistent governance failures and weak service delivery continue to define daily life, particularly in rural areas where most citizens reside. Public health and education services are largely provided by churches and civil society, while inequality and economic vulnerability remain deep-rooted. Together, these developments highlight a political environment marked by institutions handicapped by lack of funding and other operational constraints, a legislature captured by executive dominance, and economic vulnerability, as the country heads toward the 2027 national general elections.
The overall assessment of PNG’s Enabling Environment from the panel is that it allows for an active civil society within a fragile state with weak institutions and deteriorating norms. There is long-standing support for the role of civil society in service delivery, however this is tempered by the political and commercial actors opposing activism by governance, environmental, and human rights actors.
Many of the challenges to the enabling environment are emerging within the digital space. New state regulations have been opposed by citizens, political actors, and other stakeholders in government (i.e., CSOs, churches, etc.). Although norms of the rights to assembly, expression and civic participation are well established in principle, the scope and application of these precepts continues to be contested in the digital spaces mediated by regulatory authorities and multinational firms engaging on areas of shared interest.
