Officials urged to uphold integrity

National

Counting officials in Madang are urged to uphold the integrity of the counting process when they begin work today.
Madang provincial administrator Daniel Aloi told more than 80 counting officials engaged for counting ballot papers for Madang regional seat that he was a founder of the LPV system that was designed to find the truly preferred choice of MPs by the majority.
He told the counting officials that the election process was a process practised by the forefathers of the nation and should be upheld by everyone involved in the process that began from the issue of writ to the closing of writ.
“The constitutional planning committee placed value in the ballot boxes that will be counted,” Aloi said.
“The ballot boxes will speak and you will make them speak now,” he said.
Madang election manager Peter Yasaro said there were about 140 boxes to be counted for the regional seat contested by 31 candidates and counting should begin immediately.
“Even if we start counting at 6pm we must begin the process because we have no time to waste,” he said.
Yasaro said all counting should be completed within 12 days as required by the Electoral Commission. It would be done day and night.
Deputy election manager Justin Pantumari said counting centres were centralised in town except for Bogia and Sumkar because he and Yasaro would do the final checks of primary count figures before the elimination process.