Trawen revises polls’ timetable

ELECTORAL Commissioner Andrew Trawen has formally confirmed the revised timetable for the election – with the campaign period reduced from eight to five weeks.
The revised election programme released from his office yesterday confirmed the following timetable: Issue of writs on Friday May 18, nomination closes on Friday May 24, polling starts on Saturday June 23, polling ends on Friday July 6, return of writs is to be done on or before Friday July 27.
The nomination period is for seven days to May 24, campaign period is for five weeks to June 23, voting is over 14 days and the counting period is over 21 days.
Meanwhile, parliament and government are headed for a
collision course with Speaker Jeffrey Nape saying cabinet’s decision to overturn a motion passed in parliament, deferring the election for six weeks, is unlawful.
Cabinet and the commission had agreed to stick to the June election date but moved the issuing of writs to May 18 instead of April 27.
Nape said parliament’s decision would remain.
But Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said last night his position on the election timetable remained the same, as agreed to by Trawen.
A spokesman for O’Neill said there would be no further changes.
“He has stated publicly on a number of occasions that the 2012 general election will go ahead as scheduled,” he said.
“The electoral commissioner has the constitutional responsibility to run the elections on the dates that he has set.”
He said O’Neill was of the view that the legal position of the motion in parliament last week could be void and of no effect.
“The prime minister commends the decision of the electoral commissioner to defer the issue of writs by three weeks to complete the update of the common roll in the highlands.”
PNG Trade Union Congress general secretary John Paska also said last night Nape’s statement was useless because the Electoral Commissioner was a constitutional office responsible for the elections.
“The speaker of parliament is redundant. He was made redundant by the people of Papua New Guinea at their protest rally at the Sir John Guise Stadium on Tuesday,” he said.
Nape told parliament yesterday that he would seek a court clarification on who had the power to call elections – parliament or the public servant (electoral commissioner).
“Let me inform parliament that the NEC is the executive arm of government, the judiciary is another arm of government and parliament is supreme and has wider powers.
“Let me inform the house that the action taken by the NEC and its public servant (electoral commissioner) is deemed illegal.
“Let me also clarify that the electoral commission, who is the constitutional office holder, is a public servant and cannot make any decision contrary to
the decision of parliament.”