Call for commissioner to intervene

OPPOSITION leader and sitting MP for Kandep Don Polye has called on Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato to appoint new counting officials for Kandep to complete the
job.
Polye said new counting officials and a returning officer should be appointed to count the remaining boxes.
“If the same returning officer and the counting officials are put back into the counting room, then it will be unsafe for the ballot papers and the credibility for counting because they have already shown bias and also involved in the burning and tearing up ballot papers that contained my vote,” Polye claimed.
He said the electoral commissioner had given directives for all the ballot boxes for Kandep to be counted but the returning officer had continued to hold back and delay the counting, resulting in issues faced in Kandep.
“I would like to inform the people of PNG that there is something wrong with the system and those who have been entrusted custodianship of being returning officers and counting officials are not following the instructions by the electoral commissioner to count all the boxes,” Polye said.
Regarding the destroying ballot papers, Polye thanked the police commissioner and the Defence Force commissioner for their quick response to stop further burning and destroying of papers and the boxes.
Polye said he was confident of retaining  his Kandep seat, with 13  boxes from his stronghold area yet to be counted.