Pacific

Miriki new speaker in PNG's Bougainville parliament

17:07 pm on 22 January 2009

The parliament of the autonomous Bougainville province in PNG has a new speaker, replacing Nick Peniai who had stepped down to contest last month's by-election for a new president .

The Post Courier newspaper reports that parliament chose Andrew Miriki from south Bougainville.

He defeated the president of the National Women's Council, Theresa Jaintong, and the former health minister, Gerard Sinato.