Bougainville election chief says poll gone very smoothly

The acting elections commissioner in Bougainville, George Manu, says the election, the first run by Bougainvilleans themselves, has gone smoothly.

Mr Manu says all bar one of the 33 constituencies in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region have finished voting although the official voting period does not end until next Monday.

The one seat where there has been a hold up is in the Atolls where bad weather has kept voting officials from travelling to Tasman Island.

But Mr Manu says people there will now be able to vote on Thursday.

He says his team has faced challenges but with the help of advisors from the New Zealand and Australian election commissions, they have been able to work through them.

"So they have been a very good help to us in Bouginaville - the first elections that we Bougainvilleans have run for Bougainvilleans, so the advisors and expertise available to us, by these advisors from New Zealand and Australia, everything has gone very smoothly."