{{Short description|Papua New Guinean political party}} {{Infobox political party | name = Papua and New Guinea Union Party | native_name = Papua na Niugini Yunion Pati | native_name_lang = tpi | logo = File:Logo of the Pangu Pati.png | logo_size = | colorcode = {{party color|Pangu Pati}} | abbreviation = {{hlist|Pangu|PNGU}} | leader1_title = Leader | leader1_name = James Marape | leader2_title = President | leader2_name = Erigere Singin | leader3_title = {{nowrap|General Secretary}} | leader3_name = Morris Tovebae | leader4_title = Treasurer | leader4_name = Albert Mokae | founders = | founded = {{start date and age|df=y|13 June 1967}} | registered = | dissolved = | split = | successor = | headquarters = | newspaper = | student_wing = | youth_wing = | womens_wing = | wing1_title = | wing1 = | wing2_title = | wing2 = | membership_year = 1968 | membership = {{increase}} 2,000+<ref name=Emergence/> | ideology = {{plainlist|class=nowrap| * Indigenism<ref>{{cite book | chapter-url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jbkfq.10 | jstor=j.ctt2jbkfq.10 | chapter=Class, Ethnicity, Regionalism and Political Parties | last1=May | first1=R. J. | title=State and Society in Papua New Guinea | year=2004 | pages=127–146 | publisher=ANU Press | isbn=1920942068 }}</ref> * Developmentalism<ref name=DFAT/> * Economic nationalism<ref name=Seminar/> * Papua New Guinea nationalism<ref name=Nikkei/><ref name=DFAT/> }} | religion = | regional = | international = | colours = {{color box|{{party color|Pangu Pati}}|border=silver}} Green | slogan = ''"Pangu Save Lo Rot"''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pngattitude.com/2022/06/marapes-compromised-corrupted-pangu.html |title=PM Marape's compromised & corrupted Pangu |last=Kabuni |first=Michael |date=17 June 2022 |website=pngattitude.com |publisher= }}</ref>{{efn|"''Pangu knows the way''"}} | anthem = | seats1_title = National Parliament | seats1 = {{Infobox political party/seats|58|118|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}}{{small|(2024)<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Kabuni |first1=Michael |date=21 February 2024 |title=Can Marape fashion stability in PNG? |url=https://eastasiaforum.org/2024/02/21/can-marape-fashion-stability-in-png/ |magazine=East Asia Forum |publisher=East Asia Forum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228043836/https://eastasiaforum.org/2024/02/21/can-marape-fashion-stability-in-png/ |archive-date=28 February 2024 }}</ref>}} | seats2_title = | seats2 = | seats3_title = | seats3 = | seats4_title = | seats4 = | flag = | flag_title = | website = {{URL|https://pangupati.com/}} | country = Papua New Guinea }} The '''Pangu Pati''' (Pangu Party), officially '''Papua na Niugini Yunion Pati'''{{efn|Also spelt "Papua and Niugini Union Pati".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/papua-new-guinea/#government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260118034600/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/papua-new-guinea/#government |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 18, 2026 |title=Papua New Guinea |date= |website=cia.gov |publisher=The World Factbook }}</ref>}} ({{lit|Papua and New Guinea Union Party}}),{{efn|Also simply known as the "Papua New Guinea Union Party".<ref name=DFAT>{{cite web |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/australia-and-papua-new-guinea-1966-1969.pdf |title=Australia and Papua New Guinea, 1966–1969 |date=2006 |website=dfat.gov.au |publisher=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) }}</ref>}} is a nationalist<ref name=Nikkei>{{cite news |last=Rose |first=JJ |date=23 August 2022 |title=Papua New Guinea PM faces uncertain future after election disarray |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Papua-New-Guinea-PM-faces-uncertain-future-after-election-disarray |work=Nikkei Asia }}</ref><ref name=DFAT/> and developmentalist<ref name=DFAT/><ref name=Seminar>{{cite web |url=https://pngnri.org/images/Publications/PPPSS_Proceedings_Report.pdf |title=PNG Political Parties' Policies Seminar Series 2021 – Seminar Proceedings Report |date=March 2022 |website=pngnri.org |publisher=National Research Institute }}</ref> political party in Papua New Guinea. The party is the oldest political party in Papua New Guinea and has held all levels of government throughout its history. As of 2023, it is the largest party in the National Parliament.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whiting |first=Natalie |date=9 August 2022 |title=James Marape will be Papua New Guinea's prime minister after an election marred by violence |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-09/papua-new-guinea-election-results-james-marape-to-govern/101311978 |work=ABC News |location=Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea }}</ref>
==History== The Pangu Pati was established on 13 June 1967,<ref name=Home>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131660485 |title=Home rule party formed in NG |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=41 |issue=11,714 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=14 June 1967 |accessdate=19 June 2023 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia }}</ref><ref name=Emergence/> in order to contest the elections of 1968 (Papua and New Guinea).<ref name=Emergence>{{cite journal |last1=Wolfers |first1=Edward P. |date=1968 |title=The Emergence of Political Parties in Papua and New Guinea |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25167945 |journal=The Journal of Pacific History |volume=3 |issue=1968 |page=156 |doi=10.1080/00223346808572133 |jstor=25167945 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> At the time of its founding, the party stood-out as its ideals were for a political unification of Papua and New Guinea, stronger economic development and to grow the national income.<ref name=Home/> Other parties, such as the United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP), were in favour of Australian statehood.<ref name=Emergence/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131654954 |title=Seventh State Party |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=41 |issue=11,688 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=15 May 1967 |accessdate=19 June 2023 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia }}</ref> Although the party, and its candidates, were not in a formal political union, there were ten candidates of Pangu that were elected to the House of Assembly.<ref>{{Citation |title=Pacific Islands Monthly |issn=0030-8722 |volume=39 |issue=5 |date= 1 May 1968 |location=Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |publisher=Pacific Publications |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-327092031 |id=nla.obj-327092031 |access-date=19 June 2023 |via=Trove }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/EPW-15.pdf |title=The 1968 Elections IV: The Candidates |date=1968 |website=icwa.org |publisher=Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA) }}</ref> The 1972 election, the last under Australian authority, saw Pangu-endorsed candidates win eighteen seats, with a total of pro-Pangu candidates reaching twenty-six.<ref>{{cite book |last= |first= |date=2006 |title=Political Parties in the Pacific Islands |url=https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p77961/pdf/book.pdf |publisher=ANU Press |page=85 }}</ref>
Somare later served as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea as the leader of the Pangu Party from 1972 to 1980 and from 1982 to 1985. In 1985, Paias Wingti led a faction of the party to split with Somare, and Wingti won a no-confidence vote against Somare, succeeding him as prime minister. In 1988, Somare was replaced as leader of Pangu by Rabbie Namaliu who served as prime minister from 1988 to 1992. Somare would then become leader of the National Alliance Party.
At the 2002 elections, the party won 6 of 109 seats, under the leadership of Chris Haiveta. After that election, Somare returned to power as prime minister. Pangu became a member of his coalition government, and continued to support the Somare government after the 2007 elections, in which Pangu won 5 seats.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenational.com.pg/080607/nation1.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006112329/http://www.thenational.com.pg/080607/nation1.htm|title=MOA to Govern|newspaper=The National|date=6 August 2007|archive-date=6 October 2007}}</ref>
It won only one seat at the 2012 election, that of Angoram MP Ludwig Schulze, but was left unrepresented when Schulze died in March 2013.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thenational.com.pg/pm-namah-offer-condolences/ | title=PM, Namah offer condolences | work=The National | date=11 March 2013 | access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref> In August 2014, Deputy Opposition Leader Sam Basil crossed to Pangu and reactivated its parliamentary wing, taking on the leadership.<ref>{{cite news | title=Basil now new Pangu leader | work=PNG Post Courier | date=20 August 2014 }}</ref> The party's numbers increased to two in August 2015 when William Samb won a by-election in Goilala Open, then to nine following the 2017 elections.<ref>{{cite news | title=Pangu Pati candidate wins Goilala | work=PNG Post Courier | date=12 August 2015 }}</ref>
At the 2022 elections, Pangu won a decisive first-place showing, its best since 1982, with 39 seats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashlee |title=Datasets – PNG Elections Database |url=https://devpolicy.org/pngelections/datasets/ |access-date=2025-01-13 |language=en-AU}}</ref> James Marape, who had defected from the previously largest party, the PNC, to Pangu, continued his tenure as prime minister. This followed several other defections from the PNC to Pangu, largely attributed to the protracted crisis of leadership under Prime Minister O'Neill.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=Pacific Media |date=2019-05-04 |title=Five PNG ministers have now quit as O'Neill government hit by crisis {{!}} Asia Pacific Report |url=https://asiapacificreport.nz/2019/05/04/five-png-ministers-have-now-quit-as-oneill-government-hit-by-crisis/ |access-date=2025-01-13 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Electoral results== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right" |+ National Parliament ! Election ! Leader ! Votes ! % ! Seats ! +/– ! Government |- ! 1977 | rowspan=3| Michael Somare | {{N/A}} | 35% (#1) | {{Composition bar|30|109|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | New | {{yes2|Coalition}} |- ! 1982 | colspan=2 {{N/A|''No data''}} | {{Composition bar|51|109|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | {{increase}} 21 | {{yes2|Coalition}} |- ! 1987 | 408,082 | 14.93 (#1) | {{Composition bar|26|109|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | {{decrease}} 25 | {{no2|Opposition}} |- ! 1992 | rowspan=1| Rabbie Namaliu | 294,738 | 9.33 (#1) | {{Composition bar|22|109|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | {{decrease}} 4 | {{no2|Opposition}} |- ! 1997 | rowspan=3| Chris Haiveta | 237,028 | 5.31 (#3) | {{Composition bar|13|109|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | {{decrease}} 9 | {{no2|Opposition}} |- ! 2002 | colspan=2 rowspan=3 {{N/A|''No data''}} | {{Composition bar|6|109|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | {{decrease}} 7 | {{no2|Opposition}} |- ! 2007 | {{Composition bar|5|109|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | {{decrease}} 1 | {{yes2|Coalition}} |- ! 2012 | rowspan=1| Andrew Kumbakor | {{Composition bar|1|111|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | {{decrease}} 4 | {{no2|Opposition}} |- ! 2017 | rowspan=1| Sam Basil | 322,049 | 4.08 (#4) | {{Composition bar|9|111|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | {{increase}} 8 | {{yes2|Coalition}} |- ! 2022 | rowspan=1| James Marape | colspan=2 {{N/A|''No data''}} | {{Composition bar|39|116|hex={{party color|Pangu Pati}}}} | {{increase}} 30 | {{yes2|Coalition}} |}
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book |author=R.J. May |date=August 2022 |title=State and Society in Papua New Guinea, 2001–2021 |publisher=ANU Press |isbn=9781760465216 |doi=10.22459/SSPNG.2022 |doi-access=free |url=https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/series/pacific/state-society-papua-new-guinea-2001%E2%80%932021 |chapter=4. Political parties in Papua New Guinea (to 2002) |pages=47–72}}
{{Papua New Guinean political parties}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Political parties in Papua New Guinea *Main Category:Political parties established in 1967 Category:1967 establishments in Oceania