Govt urged to support boundary initiatives

 THE Government needs to support the Electoral Boundary Commission in conducting a nationwide exercise to review the existing national boundaries and demarcation, Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato says.

He said the commission had requested funding for K19.5 million from the Government “to conduct this important exercise nationwide, but funding has not been appropriated”. Gamato said the exercise was among a list of things to be improved as part of the electoral reform process for future elections. 

The commission is seeking Government funding to improve the electoral roll, plus the institutional strengthening of the commission “to improve the election process in PNG by improving the capacity and capabilities of staff to perform their tasks and responsibilities”.

Institutional strengthening will identify the weaknesses in the organisational structure and to fill them in before the 2017 national election. Gamato said they also needed to set up an Electoral Compliance Unit to develop ways to address “illegal behaviour” during the campaign and polling periods.