Commission requests for K22m

 THE Electoral Commission needs K22 million to conduct 27 failed elections in the Highlands region, Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato says.

He said in Kokopo, East New Britain last Friday that he had written to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and the National Executive Council seeking K22 million for those elections.

Gamato said the Supreme Court had ordered that the Electoral Commission should conduct supplementary elections.

“I am still waiting for funding,” Gamato said. 

There was still time to conduct the supplementary elections.

But the supplementary elections had to be completed by July this year.

“We cannot conduct any election within the 12 months period leading to national elections, therefore, we cannot conduct any supplementary elections after July,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Inter-Government Relations Leo Dion said it was required by law for supplementary elections to be conducted.

Dion said a lot of money had been given to provincial governments, districts and LLGs.

“As the minister responsible, I am calling on provincial governments to allocate funds to cater for these outstanding supplementary elections in their provinces,” Dion said.

“If other provinces have done that, why cannot the rest do the same? West and East New Britain and Chimbu have done theirs. It is possible for other provinces to do the same.”

 Dion said people in those electorates where elections had been declared failed have the democratic right to be represented.

Meanwhile, writs for two local level governments and three wards in the Kandrian-Gloucester and Talasea districts in West New Britain were returned to Dion last Friday after the successful completion of by-elections.

The vacancies were created following the death of a council president and three ward members, and the dismissal by a court of another president on misappropriation charges.

Dion received the writs from Gamato in Kokopo.

Dion announced Raphael Divu as the elected president of the Bali-Witu LLG, Allan Klosio as president for Kandrian-Gloucester LLG, Anton Avul as ward member for Palan ward 9 in Kandrian Inland LLG,  Alphonse Kela as ward member for Kandrian ward 4 in Kandrian Coastal LLG and Michael Kakiu as ward member for Gurrissi ward 8.