Could these islands be the world’s next country? | The Pacific | ABC News

Papua New Guinea’s autonomous region of Bougainville voted overwhelmingly to secede from PNG in 2019. But since then, the PNG government has dragged its feet, missing last year’s deadline to vote on ratifying the non-binding referendum result. Former NZ Governor general Jerry Mateparae has been appointed to moderate negotiations between the two parties, a move welcomed by both sides. But how do you make a new country, and what issues are playing on the minds of Bougainville’s people?
The Pacific's reporter Hilda Wayne and producer Gabriella Marchant met with Bougainville’s president, and citizens, to find out.
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