Officials want check on Kompiam-Ambum counting

CANDIDATES, lawyers and election officials in Kompiam-Ambum, Enga province, have called on the Electoral Commission to stop all counting in the electorate and consider recommendations made it in May this year.
Claiming instances of election fraud and corruption, the candidates and their officials had petitioned the commission to suspend all counting until these matters were sorted out.
In their petition addressed and delivered to Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen, the candidates said chief among the many election fraudulent activities was the appointment of the returning officer and the assistant returning officers. Candidates’ spokesman Diason Otto said the individuals appointed were involved in the previous two elections where the results were disputed in court.“Just recently, each was seen to be driving around in new vehicles, which created more suspicions.“These matters had been raised in numerous letters and other correspondences sent to the commission but with very little feedback or action.”On May 31 this year, Enga election manager Henry Kyakas had written to Trawen requesting that returning officer Romalo Bapu and assistant returning officers Derek Nepao, Timothy Imbu and Ray Toale Kingisai be removed “following community demand and pressure”.Kyakas had asked that Philip Ambo for Kompiam LLG, Herman Yongapen (Ambum) and Tai Tambil for Wapi LLG, who were all public servants in the Enga provincial administration, be appointed to the posts of returning officers. That did not eventuate.Otto said prior to polling on June 26, Bapu was caught by security personnel allegedly with an undisclosed amount of cash and high-powered weapons. “He was in the company of people closely aligned with a certain candidate. “Bapu was arrested, charged and is out on bail.“Yet, he had been allowed to run the Kompiam-Ambum elections.”He said since Bapu was facing criminal charges.“Polling in Kompiam-Ambum was never free and fair. It was riddled with fraud and corruption.”Meanwhile, Trawen yesterday advised election petitioners to take their grievances to the court of disputed returns.He said legally, this was the next procedure for disgruntled candidates to seek redress if they felt aggrieved and intended to challenge the validity of the declared results by their provincial returning officers.Trawen said on declaration of final results after the counting, aggrieved parties now had to follow the proper legal procedures and file their petitions in court.“I am formally putting out this advice in order for candidates to properly understand the legal requirements under the Organic Law on National and LocalLevel Government elections which stipulate the due process,” Trawen said.“The law on elections is very clear on procedures and those aggrieved from declaration of the winners in these three, and other seats that will follow suit, must follow the legal provisions accordingly.“On declaration of winners, petitions should not be forwarded or addressed to the Electoral Commission.“Winning candidates on declaration effectively become the members of parliament for their respective seats, and by law any disputes against the results are matters adjudicated by the court of disputed returns alone.”