Commission plans to conduct supplementary LLG elections

ELECTORAL commissioner Patilias Gamato says he plans to conduct supplementary local level government (LLG) elections for ward elections that have been failed before the end of the year.
Gamato said the commission had successfully completed LLG elections for 6,385 wards in the country except for 90 wards in eight provinces which equated to 1.4 per cent.
The 90 failed wards were published in the National Gazette No. G675 on Aug 15.
“After carefully assessing field reports from my officers in the provinces concerned, I have made my decision as electoral commissioner to fail the 90 wards for serious breaches of laws, and regulations governing democratic elections in PNG,” Gamato said.
“These serious breaches range from violence resulting in no polling to hijacking and destruction of ballot boxes and ballot papers in Hela, Eastern Highlands, Jiwaka, Enga and Western Highlands provinces.
“Some wards were failed because election forms 66A and 66B which capture the results were not signed by the respective returning officers.”
Gamato said some wards were uncontested, mostly in East New Britain, while people refused to vote in two wards in Enga.
In Gulf, no elections were held in one ward.
Gamato said he wrote to Inter-Government Minister Pila Niningi and is awaiting minister’s approval of the proposed dates.
“I have proposed to have supplementary elections conducted towards the end of this month and have them completed by the end of November.
“I have requested funding support of K4.5 million from the national government to conduct the supplementary LLG elections,” he said.
Meanwhile, less than 100 LLG election petitions have already been filed in district courts.
“It is the Electoral Commission’s duty to defend itself and the electoral process in the election petitions and I have also requested the national government for funding to meet the legal bills,” Gamato said.