Poll dates stay: EC

ELECTORAL Commissioner Patilias Gamato says dates originally approved for the 2017 general election remain unchanged – with the campaign period still to run for eight weeks.
He rejected a Government suggestion that the campaign period be reduced to four weeks as a cost-cutting measure.
Gamato said all election dates approved by the Governor-General last year remained unchanged with the campaign period to run from April 20 to June 24.
He said the eight weeks would give enough time to the Electoral Commission to print and prepare the candidates’ posters for the election.
“Secondly, as stipulated under Section 79 (1),(2) of the Organic Law on National and LLG elections, the campaign period is eight weeks minimum and 11 weeks maximum,  including the nomination period,” Gamato said.
“The same provision also gives the Electoral Commissioner discretional powers to reduce or increase the campaign periods.
“I have decided not to change the campaign period.
“Therefore, it will remain as initially approved by the governor-general.”
Gamato, pictured, said the nomination period would be seven days, campaign to run for eight weeks, polling to be completed in two weeks and counting over two weeks.
Meanwhile, he said the local level government elections could be held in July next year.
He said the first reading of amendments to the Organic Law on general and local level government elections had been done, with the second and third readings pending in Parliament.
“There is a good chance that Parliament will accept the amendments and pass the law,” Gamato said.
“In light of that, I will advise the minister for Inter-Government Relations to defer the dates for the issue of LLG writs to 12 months after the return of the writs for the general election.
“This means that the LLG election might be deferred to about July 24, 2018.
“Again, this will depend very much on the outcomes of the second and third readings in Parliament.”