Ballot boxes for Bougainville's historic independence referendum are still making their way to Buka.
Voters file through a polling booth in Buka town to cast their vote for the Bougainville independence referendum. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Johnny Blades
Regular polling has been completed in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region's non-binding referendum, with the vote count to begin this weekend.
Ballots from a total of 249 boxes are to be counted at the Bougainville Referendum Commission's headquarters in Buka.
Thirty-three of the boxes are coming from outside Bougainville - either other parts of PNG or the overseas polling places in Solomon Islands and Australia.
The balance of the boxes are from Bougainville's three regions.
A number of boxes are already in a secured location in Buka, with all expected to arrive by Saturday.
The referendum result is to be declared no later than 20 December.
Following completion of the referendum, consultations between PNG's government and the autonomous Bougainville government over how the result should be implemented are expected to begin.
Chief Referendum Officer Mauricio Claudio said the referendum process continued to be peaceful with festive buy-in by Bougainvilleans.
"We have already witnessed whole communities accompanying the transport of their ballot boxes, proud of their vote and eager to participate in the process," he explained.
Chief Referendum Officer for the Bougainville independence referendum, Mauricio Claudio. Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
"We will not be opening any ballot boxes until after 6pm 7 December, according to the law.
"I can assure everyone that the next steps will be undertaken according to the same high standard of security and safety undertaken for polling."
