Sir Julius Chan

prime minister of Papua New Guinea

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July 20, 2026

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Sir Julius Chan served as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea on two occasions. He first held the office from March 1980 to March 1982, succeeding Michael Somare. During his tenure, his deputy, Iambakey Okuk, influenced a culture of "money politics." Chan later returned as Prime Minister in 1994, succeeding Paias Wingti. His second term was marked by efforts to end the Bougainville rebellion, including a controversial plan to hire mercenaries, which led to his resignation in 1997. He lost his seat in the subsequent elections.12

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Papua New Guinea
National politics in the 1990s
…in Parliament by one vote; Sir Julius Chan served as his deputy and finance minister. The third Wingti government took steps to disempower the elected provincial governments, which culminated in the passage of controversial legislative reforms in 1995, after Wingti left office. The reforms had the effect of removing directly…
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…in Parliament by one vote; Sir Julius Chan served as his deputy and finance minister. The third Wingti government took steps to disempower the elected provincial governments, which culminated in the passage of controversial legislative reforms in 1995, after Wingti left office. The reforms had the effect of removing directly…
Read More