Jeffrey Nape

Who is Jeffrey Nape?

Jeffrey Nape, CMG was, until the 2012 election, Speaker of the National Parliament and twice officially and once unofficially acting Governor-General of Papua New Guinea. He was elected speaker by the members of the parliament on 28 May 2004, and then immediately became acting governor-general because that office was substantively vacant. He succeeded Bill Skate in both roles.

He ceased acting as governor-general on 29 June 2004, when Paulias Matane was sworn in. When Matane stepped down in 2010, Nape regained this post.

Following the 2007 general election, Nape was re-elected as Speaker on 13 August 2007, defeating the opposition's candidate for the position, Bart Philemon, with 86 votes against 22 for Philemon. He was sworn in by Governor-General Paulias Matane on the same day.

He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2010 Birthday Honours.

in September 2011, Nape "dropped a bombshell" with his highly controversial decision to disqualify recently ousted Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, known as the "Grand Chief" and the "father of the nation", from Parliament. Nape ruled that Somare had missed three consecutive parliamentary sessions, due to being in hospital for surgery followed by a lengthy recovery. When he entered Parliament in a wheelchair, Nape "welcomed him warmly", but later declared that he was disqualifying him. Somare denied that he had missed three sessions.