Total number of parties 34: Gelu

National
Source:
The National, Monday July 25th, 2016

 By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
The Grass Roots United Front Party now brings to 34 the number of political parties preparing to contest the 2017 National elections, Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission registrar Dr Alphonse Gelu says.
“The number of parties that contested the 2012 national elections has dropped from 46.  That is a reasonable number. People say it’s too many but it is not,” Gelu said.
He said this when handing the registration certificate to GRUFP non-parliamentary leader and lawyer Paul Paraka at the PNG IPPCC office at Gordon, Port Moresby.
Current parties with MPs are: Papua  and Niugini Union Party (PANGU Party), People’s Progress Party (PPP), United Party (UP), National Alliance Party (NAP), Papua New Guinea Party (PNG Party), Christian Democratic Party (CDP), United Resources Party (URP), Melanesian Liberal Party (MLP), People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), New Generation Party (NGP), Star Alliance Party (SAP), People’s Party (PP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), People’s Movement for Change Party (PMFC), Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party (THE Party) and  People’s United Assembly Party (PUAP).
Parties that do not have MPs are: PNG Country Party (PNGCP), People’s Labour Party (PLP), PNG National Party (NP), People’s Action Party (PAP), People’s First Party (PFP), PNG Greens Party, Republic Party, People’s Resource Awareness Party, Melanesian Alliance, Mapai Levites Party (MLP), PNG Constitutional Democratic Party (PNGCDP), Our Development Party, Coalition for Reform Party, PNG Destiny Party and Grass Roots United Front Party.
Dr Gelu said that their emphasis now was on the need for political parties to have quality candidates who have honesty, integrity and other qualities of good leadership.
“We now have a revised Organic Law due to the 2010 Supreme Court decision which is now with the National Executive Council since 2014 for its approval.
“In that revised Organic Law there are some very good changes that we have proposed to move away from regulating the behaviour of MPs as the Supreme Court has declared it unconstitutional. So we leave it to the parties’ constitutions while we focus on strengthening the parties.”

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