Application to stop Kabwum declaration dismissed

By BEVERLY PETER
THE National court has dismissed an application by the Kabwum open candidate Hearing Quoreka to stop the Electoral Commission (EC) from declaring a winner in General Election 2022 (GE22).
Judge Joseph Yagi presiding at Waigani on Friday said the application was dismissed as it arose from speculations.
“Quoreka is fearful and uncertain that someone was pushing for themselves to be declared as member elect for Kabwum open,” he said.
“The claim is clearly based on rumors and uncertainty.”
He said Quoreka through his lawyer Mark Alu sought to restrain EC and its agents from making any declaration because they heard rumors that the Kabwum sitting MP Patrick Basa was pushing to be declared as the member elect.
“They have also sought for the court to make order for Kabwum’s writ to be withdrawn and declare a failed election in the electorate,” he said.
“They further asked the court to order EC to issue a new writ and to conduct a supplementary election.”
Judge Yagi said Quoreka was seeking those orders based on the reason that more than 60 per cent of the electorate’s ballot papers (both counted and not counted) were burnt.
He said the facts stated was that the incident happened after a conflict between scrutineers of the 13 candidates in the electorate on some irregularities with the ballots at Kabwum district office on the third day of counting.
Russell Uware from the Solicitor General’s office representing the EC said the burning of ballot papers was not done by the EC and such an order sought in the proceeding against the agency was an abuse of process.
Uware added that the proceeding had no ground to stop the EC from performing its mandated duty.