Sinai becomes new EC

SIMON Sinai has been appointed Electoral Commissioner by the Electoral Commission Appointments Committee.
Prime Minister James Marape, the committee chairman, said they would advise the Head of State to appoint Sinai Electoral Commissioner for a maximum of four years or until he reaches 60, whichever occurred first.
The appointment is effective from Dec 1, 2021.
Sinai replaces Patilias Gamato who he served under during the 2017 general election.
Sinai had been acting in the position in the past 15 months.
Marape has directed the First Legislative Counsel to prepare the necessary instruments of revocation and appointment of Simon Sinai as Electoral Commissioner for gazettal.
He said Sinai was appointed after a thorough screening and vetting process. The committee had deliberated on a shortlist of candidates, taking into consideration provisions of the Organic Law on National and Local Level Government Elections.
A majority consensus was reached that Sinai stood out as the most preferred candidate, because he had 30 years of experience working with the Electoral Commission.
“During his time with the Electoral Commission, he was able to identify the most common problems faced in elections and initiated administrative changes to the structure of the commission and the election process and management,” Marape said.
He said Sinai also used his experience and demonstrated strong management and leadership skills amid a difficult budgetary environment that had been compounded with the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic, and conducted a satisfactory Menyamya Open by-election, Goroka Open by-election, Autonomous Region of Bougainville regional elections, the court-ordered Kandep Open recount as well as the Moresby Northwest by-election.
“Also, under Sinai’s leadership, the commission successfully trialled the first biometric voting verification system in the Kupiano LLG by-election.”