Ex-convicts to be disqualified: EC

News that matter in Papua New Guinea

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Ex-convicts to be disqualified: EC

PORT MORESBY: All General Election 2022 (GE22) candidates who were convicted of a crime after June 25, 2002, will be disqualified before the start of polling on July 4, Papua New Guinea Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai says.

“We have submitted the full list of candidates contesting in GE22 to the Supreme Court, National Court, district courts, Public Prosecutors’ Office, Correctional Service and the Attorney-General’s Office to verify their status.

“It is a process that we are doing our best to ensure that we clear the candidates before Papua New Guineans cast their ballot,” he added.

The news break was reported by The National:

Ex-convicts to be disqualified: EC

June 15, 2022The NationalMain Stories

By REBECCA KUKU
ALL candidates who were convicted of a crime after June 25, 2002, will be disqualified before the start of polling on July 4, Papua New Guinea Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai says.
“We have submitted the full list of candidates contesting in General Election 2022 (GE22) to the Supreme Court, National Court, district courts, Public Prosecutors’ Office, Correctional Service and the Attorney-General’s Office to verify their status and records.
“It is a process that we are doing our best to ensure that we clear the candidates before Papua New Guineans cast their ballots.
“We also understand that they have already been nominated and spent money and resources on campaigning, but the law is the law,” he added.
Sinai said after the candidates were cleared by all the relevant authorities “we will disqualify candidates who are confirmed to have been convicted after June 25, 2002 (as ruled by the Supreme Court on May 31) ”.
“We are hoping to do this by July 4, before polling starts, so that we can go forth with GE22 without any hindrance,” he added.
The Supreme Court ruled on May 31 that persons convicted of any offence and sentenced to more than nine months jail time from June 25, 2002 were disqualified for life from contesting and running for GEs.
This comes after the Attorney General, through the office of the Solicitor-General, referred various questions and an application seeking the court’s opinion on the meaning and effect of section 103 (3) (e), which was inserted in the Constitution in 2002 by a Constitutional Amendment.

Enga to cast votes on July 4 at 469 sites, says official

PEOPLE in Enga will cast their votes on July 4 at the 469 polling stations provided around the province, says provincial election manager Anton Iamau.
“We are planning on having polling sites in all council wards,” he said.
“Those council wards that have less than 50 people will vote at the nearest polling site.”
Iamau said ballot papers would be flown in by helicopter.
“We are finalising arrangements, but all ballot papers will be flown in will be accompanied by electoral officers and security personnel,” he said.
Meanwhile, all seven provinces in the Highlands, the National Capital District and Morobe will have one-day polling.
Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai said the Highlands and Morobe had been divided into three zones.
Zone One includes Morobe, Eastern Highlands and Chimbu provinces.
Zone Two includes Jiwaka and Western Highlands.
Zone Three will have Enga, Southern Highlands and Hela provinces.
“The one-day polling will not all happen on the same day but will be done in zones,” he said.
The first day polling will be conducted in Zone One, then the teams move to Zone Two the next day, then to Zone Three.
He said it was organised thus because of “security issues faced here during past elections”.
The teams will start polling in the National Capital District, then Morobe before moving to the Highlands.
“Let me reassure the people, political parties, candidates, stakeholders and everyone else that the national election (will be) delivered as per the requirements of the Constitution and the Organic Law.”

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