Tabar retains seat

SITTING member for Gazelle open Malakai Tabar has been declared the member elect for Gazelle after he polled 9,791 after the 22nd exclusion.
Lawyer Norbert Kubak polled second to Tabar with 9,678 votes while the absolute majority was 9,736 votes.
Returning officer for Gazelle open Ekonia Walom declared Tabar member for Gazelle at 9.10pm last Friday.
Tabar, when addressing a crowd after he was declared, said although resources were limited during the election period, he admired the efforts of all stakeholders in the province and thanked them.
He urged the people to work with him as a team to deliver services to the electorate in the next five years.
“Let us grow together according to God’s will and purpose for this district,” Tabar said.
Walom said the total population of eligible voters in the district according to the gazetted electoral roll was more than 70,700, however, only 34,398 eligible voters voted this year.
He said about 52% of the voter population in the district did not vote adding it was “sad” to see many people in the electorate not being able to exercise their democratic rights to vote for a leader they believed in.
Walom said there was an improvement in this election when they recorded only 1,124 informal votes in the electorate compared to previous elections.
“I am very proud with the overall performance of the election process in the district as we kept to our schedule and concluded on time, with a peaceful environment for the people,” he said.
While he thanked his counting teams and polling teams, he said God was to be thanked above all for his protection claiming they experienced forces of the darkness during the counting period.
He thanked pastors and prayer warriors for continuously praying and providing spiritual “back-up” while counting was in progress.