Government yet to fund four district by-elections in Bougainville

 By DOROTHY MARK

THE Government is yet to fund the by-election for four districts in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, former electoral commissioner for ABG Reitama Taravaru said in Madang yesterday.

Taravaru said by-elections for Lule, Rau, Hagogohe and Kongara were still pending and required K1.5 million to conduct fresh polls for all four.

“I have prepared a budget of all costs involved and submitted to the national parliament through the ABG administration and have waited for a response till now,” Taravaru said.

He said the Bougainville administration had committed K500,000 to conduct the four by-elections but that was not enough to cater for the polling processes.

Taravaru said the K500,000 would cater for training and travel costs only where officials would travel in from Buka and Buin to meet in Arawa.

 “It was a requirement for the government to conduct by-elections in Bougainville,” he said.

He said leaders responsible for the by-election of the four districts approached him many times and had given up confronting him.

Taravaru said the Bougainville government had not listened to his advice, thus the delay in the by-elections for the four districts. 

Taravaru said his term of service to the electoral commission had expired on April 30 and it was up to the Bougainville administration to appoint a new person or extend his time of service.