PORT MORESBY (Papua New Guinea Post-Courier/PINA) — Pangu, or the Papua and Niugini Union Pati, is heading for a series of major upset wins in New Ireland province as the Papua New Guinea elections continue.
Pangu looks like ending the attempted return to parliament of former Prime Minister Julius Chan and ousting New Ireland Gov. Paul Tohian.
In the much-watched New Ireland Provincial seat Pangu’s Ian Ling Stuckey with 18,848 votes led Chan of the People’s Progress Party, 11,421; and sitting member and Governor Tohian of the National Alliance Party, 4,895.
For the first time Pangu is close to claiming all three seats in the province. It could also set a national record for winning all parliamentary seats in a province.
Martin Aini, the Pangu candidate for Kavieng open, had taken over the lead from former MP and Pan Melanesian Congress leader Ben Micah.
In the Namatani open seat, Pangu candidate Elias Salot was ahead of Chan’s son Byron-– polling 31 percent of the votes counted so far. The junior Chan was behind with 14.6 percent of the votes.
The news though was not so good for Pangu leader and Mining Minister Chris Haiveta at the start of counting for the Gulf provincial seat.
Haiveta was running third behind People’s National Congress candidate Havila Kavo and Papua New Guinea Revival Party’s Abel Koivi.
Almost 3,000 candidates representing more than 40 parties are competing for 109 parliamentary seats across Papua New Guinea. Voting has been pushed into an unexpected third week because of security and financial worries.
Sixteen people are reported to have died in election-related violence, with most problems in the volatile Highlands.
The ruling People’s Democratic Party welcomed back Finance and Planning Minister Andrew Kumbakor, who retained his Nuku open seat in West Sepik Province.
This came in the 24 hours that saw two of his colleagues-–Trade and Industry Minister Tukape Masani and Social Welfare and Development Minister William Ebenosi—lose.
People’s Democratic Party founder and former Prime Minister Paias Wingti continued to maintain a commanding lead for the Western Highlands Provincial seat he lost to Father Robert Lak in 1997.
That 1997 contest was a political battle akin to the biblical David versus Goliath fight which ended with the humble shepherd boy conquering the mighty warrior.
But this time Wingti is being swept back into Parliament and Lak out.
