NRI: Main agencies can put a smoother touch on elections

Three agencies expected to play roles for smooth elections next year are the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs (DPLGA), the police and National Broadcasting Cooperation (NBC).
According to the National Research Institute (NRI), these agencies will ensure the election is run as planned without disruptions.
The role of DPLGA is to ensure electoral reforms happen with the aim to establish an accountable voting system by improving the electoral roll, reviewing polling periods, conducting electoral boundary reviews and working with PNG Electoral Commission (PNGEC) to develop a feasible electronic voting system.
The department is currently reviewing electoral boundaries, receiving and assessing expressions of interest from provinces for new local level governments (LLGs) and wards and establishment of the ward record book system.
NRI acting director Dr Osborne Sanida said the ward record book would contain names of all persons living in a particular ward to ensure authorities knew how many eligible voters there were in LLGs, districts and provinces.
According to NRI, the role of the police is to facilitate a safe and secure environment for the election to avoid threats of manipulation of electoral processes.