LLG elections set for July

By SAMANTHA KATI
THE Local Level Government (LLG) election dates have been changed because the national census will be conducted around the same time in July, says an official.
Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs Minister Soroi Eoe.
He said the national census and LLG election were important national events which should held at different times.
“Because the census is being carried out about the same time as the LLG election, it taxed heavily on our resources as a government in terms of financial, human, technical, infrastructural resources,” he said.
“Therefore, after consultation with the Electoral Commission (EC), we have come up with new dates for the LLG elections,” Eoe said.
The new dates are: Issue of Writ (Thursday, July 25 4pm, Nominations close (Thursday, August 1 4pm), Polling starts (Saturday, August 24), Polling ends (Friday, September 6), Return of Writs on or Before Friday, September, 2024
Meanwhile Eoe appealed to all the provincial government, district development authority boards and local level government members to mobilise all their necessary resources and support at their disposal to support the PNG EC to conduct the 2024 LLG election.
“So that our people can exercises their democratic right to elect their ward leaders in a transparent and cost-effective manner possible,” he said.
He further emphasized that LLG is a very important third tier government and the ministry has concerned for sometimes.
“If we don’t have a functioning system at the second tier (provincial government) and the third tier (LLG), we cannot really provide service to our people in a more effective and efficient manner,” he said.
“Therefore, conducting LLG election vitally important because these is where 80 per cent of our people are.”