Registrar tightens up OLIPPAC

 THE Registry of Political Parties and Candidates Commission has tightened provisions in the revised Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC).

“The revised OLIPPAC has a total of 95 provisions. Some of the provisions are the same with the current OLIPPAC while some were changed to accommodate the changes that have occurred since 2001 and 2003 while others are new,” Registrar Dr. Alphonse Gelu said at a consultation workshop in Port Moresby, yesterday.

Gelu touched on the provisions that were considered important for political parties and candidates to comply with. 

“Section 28 (3) under the Amended Provisions, an executive officer intending to be a candidate in a general election must resign nine months before issue of writs, which means that party convention should have been sat to select their candidates for the general election,” he said. 

“The final list of the candidates must be submitted to the office of the Registrar which will then be forwarded to the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission will only recognise the political party endorsed candidates provided by the Registrar.” 

Under Section 31, Qualification for Registration, Gelu said the current scenario was that those intending to form a political party were registered as long as they collected 500 signatures. 

He said throughout the party’s existence, the Registry does not know whether those 500 members were still with the party. 

Section 46 on the Grounds of Cancellation of Registration, the party as a legal entity must have money for its operation – K100,000 – and must endorse and nominate at least 10% of 111 seats in Parliament and from the total endorsed candidates, 10% must be women endorsed candidates.”