Manager: Petitions to be disregarded during polling

 THE Electoral Commission will not entertain any petitions from disgruntled candidates during the polling and counting period of the local level government elections, according to East New Britain election manager Joab Voivoi.

He said on Monday that any petition intended to be issued within the polling and counting period of the local level government elections would have to follow procedures.

Voivoi said that disgruntled candidates must wait 40 days after declarations were made to take their petitions to the court of disputed returns.

He was responding to reports of a petition being taken out by several candidates for the Rabaul Urban LLG mayor’s seat.

According to reports, several candidates took out the petition, complaining about the assistant returning officer Freddie Lemeki demanding that he and his polling officials be replaced by a team from Kokopo or Gazelle.