Benjamin Poponawa (born 28 January 1960) is a

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

politician. He has been a member of the

National Parliament of Papua New Guinea The National Parliament of Papua New Guinea is the unicameral national legislature in Papua New Guinea. It was created in 1964 as the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea but gained its current name after the nation was granted independence ...

since July 2007, representing the electorate of Tambul-Nebilyer Open. He was initially elected as an independent, but immediately joined the then-governing National Alliance upon his election. Poponawa first contested the 2002 general election, but was defeated by

People's Democratic Movement The People's Democratic Movement is a political party in Papua New Guinea. It was founded by Paias Wingti in 1985, after his faction left the Pangu Party. Wingti served as prime minister from 1985 to 1988 and from 1992 to 1994. He was later repla ...

candidate

Mark Anis Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

. He again contested the seat as an independent at the 2007 general election, and was successful despite having trailed for most of the count. He immediately announced his intention to join the governing National Alliance. He was subsequently named as Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury and Finance by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Michael Somare Sir Michael Thomas Somare (9 April 1936 – 26 February 2021) was a Papua New Guinean politician. Widely called the "father of the nation" (), he was the first Prime Minister after independence. At the time of his death, Somare was also the lo ...

. In January 2012, he joined

Don Polye Don Pomb Polye (born 1 February 1967) is a Papua New Guinean politician from Enga Province. He has been a Cabinet Minister under two Prime Ministers, and was briefly Deputy Prime Minister from July to December 2010. He has held Foreign Affairs, ...

's new

Triumph Heritage Empowerment Rural Party The Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party ("T.H.E Party") is a political party in Papua New Guinea. It was founded in 2012 by Don Polye, Minister of Finance at the time. As of May 2019, the party has 1 member in the National Parliament. Background P ...

. He left the party in May 2014."Resignations en masse from PNG political party"
Radio New Zealand International, 21 May 2014

References

1960 births Living people Members of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea People from the Western Highlands Province National Alliance Party (Papua New Guinea) politicians Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party politicians {{PapuaNewGuinea-bio-stub