12 Facts About Sam Abal

Samuel Tei Abal was born on 26 June 1958 and is a Papua New Guinean politician.

Sam Abal further became acting Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea on 13 December 2010, when Prime Minister Somare stepped down from office to face a tribunal regarding allegations of financial mismanagement.

Sam Abal is the son of Sir Tei Sam Abal, who is considered one of the founding fathers of Papua New Guinea.

Sam Abal was a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea representing the Wabag Electorate in Enga Province.

Sam Abal was informed of the impending reshuffle prior to the appointment while attending a mining conference in Sydney, Australia, with Prime Minister Somare.

The appointment of Sam Abal guaranteed Somare a close ally as acting Prime Minister.

Sam Abal became acting Prime Minister in April 2011 when Prime Minister Somare flew to Singapore for heart surgery.

Sam Abal "moved into a local hotel" as his home had become a crime scene.

Sam Abal had been Somare's deputy before serving as acting Prime Minister.

In 2012, Sam Abal became the deputy Opposition Leader upon the retirement of opposition leader, Dame Carol Kidu.

In June 2012, the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier reported that Sam Abal would run for re-election in the 2012 general election as a political independent.

Sam Abal stated he had lost faith in country's political party system, which had led to chaos and gridlock in the government.