Pangu leads, PNC jolted

THE ruling Pangu Pati is leading with 22 seats (including those declared but full results yet available at press time) after 52 of the 118 seats for General Election 2022 (GE22) have been declared as of yesterday.
The People’s National Congress (PNC) is trailing with only nine seats and it was jolted by last week’s GE22 results when its deputy leader and former deputy prime minister Davis Steven was ousted in Milne Bay’s Esa’ala.
Steven was toppled by Pangu Pati’s Jimmy Maladina who crossed the absolute majority with 9,359 votes while Steven was at 7,307.
In another shock result, PNC’s greenhorn Anderson Mise, ended veteran politician Patrick Pruaitch’s four-term stranglehold on the seat that he first won in GE02 (7th Parliament).
Mise was declared the winner during the elimination of the ballot count after securing 16,929 votes.
Pruaitch garnered only 9,924 votes.
Pangu Pati is still leading with 22 seats, trailed by PNC (nine), United Resources Party (four), National Alliance (three) and, People’s Party and Social Democratic Party winning two seats each.
They are joined by the three victorious Independents (all new MPs) – East New Britain Governor Michael Marum, Menyamya’s Solen Loifa and Middle Fly’s Maso Hewabi.
Loifa became a “giant slayer” when he beat the runner-up, PNC’s Jackty Yatipo. The incumbent, Benjamin Philip, who switched to Pangu Pati, was rejected by votes, doing so badly that he was eliminated during the ballot count.
Prime Minister and Pangu Pati leader James Marape congratulated Maladina in a media statement on Friday for the political slaying of Steven.
“I have news for (PNC leader) Peter O’Neill.
“His biggest nightmare has arrived in the form of Jimmy Maladina,” he added.
“Maladina was brought into Pangu after he took a stand in the UBS Commission-of-Inquiry, and highlighted Peter O’Neill’s (alleged) dealings, including his relationship with the owner of PAC LNG Carlo Civelli.”