The chair of the Bougainville Referendum Commission, Mauricio Claudio. Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
Bougainville's Chief Referendum Officer says its independence vote is set to run smoothly despite an inauspicious start to its preparation.
A two-week polling period for the autonomous Papua New Guinea region's non-binding referendum begins this Saturday.
Mauricio Claudio said the Bougainville Referendum Commission, or BRC, raised the bar of PNG electoral standards in a number of ways.
These include enrolling voters outside the national boundaries and introducing provisional voting.
Mr Claudio said initially the BRC was put in a bad situation due to delays to its establishment and funding.
"When I arrived as CRO in late February, there was literally nothing in place.
"We have had to put in place the whole BRC. The analogy that has been used, which I think is very apt, is to try to build the plane while flying. That's exactly what we've been doing," he said.