Lack of funding delays work of boundaries commission

The National National

THE lack of funding in the national Budget has further delayed the work of the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Commissioner Patilias Gamato, in his presentation at the leaders’ retreat in Port Moresby on Friday, said that although the National Executive Council (NEC) had approved the funding for commission, no funds were allocated in the Budget.
NEC approved the formation of the IEBC based on the Organic Law on National Election and LLG Elections (OLNE).
The IEBC officials are the commissioner as chairman, national statistician, surveyor-general, and three civilian appointees. The appointments and terms of reference are to be mandated by the governor-general to formally establish the IEBC to review electoral boundaries and make recommendations to Parliament.
Gamato said the GoPNG was non-compliant legally following the rejected reports of the previous IEBC in 2016.
“Fifty-three of the 89 (60%) electorates also do not comply with the minimum population quota in 21 of the 22 provinces, with only Hela in full compliance, based on the 2011 population census.
“Currently 32 (36%) of the electorates have too few people and 36 (40%) open electorate comply.
“Twenty-one electorates (23%) are above the population quota which means they have too many voters, with 15 electoral boundaries for potential revisiting in Southern Region, 17 in Highlands, 14 in Mamose, and seven in the New Guinea Highlands
“When the IEBC was activated this year, based on the duties and responsibilities in Part III of the OLNE, the terms of reference can include the review and analysis of the current electoral boundaries, recommending creation of new electoral boundaries that comply with the population requirement in Section 125 of the Constitution.
“IEBC is charged by law with determining the number of electorates, with each containing about the same population and with a minimum of 89 and maximum of 120 electorates.
“The 89 current electorates was established in 1997, based on the 1971 census population.”