By PETER KORUGL
Lae Open electorate is ready to conduct
polling come Saturday and count the ballots on Monday.
This was the word from the election manager Roy Kamen yesterday as he
and his men sorted out ballot papers and boxes for the many polling
stations around the city.
“We are ready to conduct the polling,” he said.
“Everything is going alright and polling should start by 8am on
Saturday.”
Mr Kamen said there would be 340 polling officials deployed to 55
polling booths throughout the electorate for the one-day polling.
“We will have five to six polling compartments,” he said.
“This will allow five to six people to cast their votes at the same time
so that will speed up the process.”
Mr Kamen said polling booths would open at 8am and voters were urged to
be there early as no extension would be allowed for polling.
Meanwhile, police will deploy about 500 personnel in Lae during the
polling period to ensure a peaceful election.
Metropolitan commander Chief Superintendent Nema Mondiai said police
strength in Lae would be beefed up by a mobile squad from Goroka.
“As part of our preparations, we will step up road blocks, conduct raids
into suspected hot spots and carry out awareness in the media and
throughout the settlements,” he said.
“This is Phase One of our preparation, which will start on Saturday and
end on the June 29.”
Mr Mondiai said random road blocks would be conducted on the major roads
and highways to clamp down on movement of illegal firearms and drugs.
Raids would also be carried out on suspected criminal hideouts before
actual polling on June 30 to July 10.
Polling in the rest of the electorate in Morobe province is expected to
commence next Monday as counting of Lae votes begins.
“Polling in the rest of the eight electorate would commence on Monday
and go for the rest of the week,” provincial administrator Manasupe
Zurenuoc said.
