Counting period extended

THE counting period for the 2020 Bougainville elections has been extended, according to Bougainville Electoral Commissioner George Manu.
Manu said with the current pace of counting, they would not be able to complete the scrutiny and counting process as per the initial election schedule.
He said the 2020 Bougainville elections were different to previous ones because the voter roll had increased ten-fold from 2015.
He said the election saw an increase of about 30 per cent in the number of candidates.
“For these reasons, there is insufficient time to return the writs by Sept 15,” Manu said.
He expects the return of writs to be on Sept 24.
Manu said the extension was granted under Section 146 and 147 of the Bougainville Elections Act.
“I want to ensure that counting is completed in a timely manner so it will need to continue every day until it is completed,” he said.