EC ordered to recount Chimbu votes

By HEZRON KISING
A COURT has ordered the Electoral Commission to recount votes for the Chimbu provincial seat after finding evidence of illegal practices and errors or omissions at counting venues during the 2017 general election.
National Court judge Justice Colin Makail said the dispute was based on illegalities and errors or omissions.
The election petition was filed by former governor Noah Kool against the winner of the seat Michael Dua and the Electoral Commission.
Kool submitted that counting officials were from one tribe, there was lack of public viewing of exhausted ballot papers by scrutineers of other candidates, and ballot papers were misallocated or misplaced during the elimination stages of counting.
Justice Makail ordered that the petition be upheld and the Electoral Commission to conduct and complete a recount of the votes by or before February 7, 2019.
The recount will be held at a venue to be fixed by the returning officers from outside Chimbu, not previously engaged in the election.
He discharged the interim injunction of Oct 24, 2017 and allowing the ballot boxes and papers to be released to appointed officers of commission for the purpose of recount.
The final result of the recount shall be presented for further hearing at the National Court on Feb 8, 2019 at 9.30am.
Dua will remain the governor of Chimbu until the completion of the recount process and the presentation of the result to the court for consideration.
Meanwhile the commission told The National yesterday that in such circumstances where a court ordered a judicial recount, the commission “will have to work out the cost estimate to conduct the judicial recount and request the Government for funding. Until such time, the cost to conduct a judicial recount for the Chimbu Provincial seat could not be established at this stage”.