PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) — Voting has gotten off to a hesitant start in Papua New Guinea’s historic parliamentary elections, with money problems forcing many areas to delay the start of polling.
The election is seen as the most crucial for the cash-strapped country since it was granted independence in 1975.
Voting opened in one area in the central province around 50 kilometers from the capital Port Moresby, but in most other areas election officials said voting would not start until today or tomorrow.
They said election funds had only arrived on Friday, so there had not been time to arrange for election managers to get to inaccessible electorates in rugged highland areas.
Voting will be spread over 12 days but officials do not expect a result for at least a month.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mekere Morauta said in a statement that he was alarmed at potential breaches of electoral security.
Morauta said ballot boxes and papers were being distributed before the morning of the start of polling, as required by the electoral regulations. He also said ballots were being taken to candidates’ campaign houses.
“In one ward, the polling place is a campaign house,” he said. “This alone should never have happened, and should be of great concern to the public. By law the Electoral Commission should have published lists of polling places in time for the public and candidates to object to these inappropriate decisions.”
He added: “But for the Electoral Commission now to send ballot boxes and papers to these places, where they will remain overnight, is beyond comprehension. It is yet another decision by the Electoral Commission that is calculated to prevent free and fair elections.”
Morauta said he had received reports that tens of thousands of extra ballot papers had been printed for the National Capital District seat.
“If this allegation is true, the Electoral Commission should make an immediate public explanation,” he said. “The information should also be given to the police.”
He said the Electoral Commission “must immediately provide the public, and candidates, with an immediate accounting for all ballot papers and boxes.”
