GE22 counting of ballots for PNG’s capital starts
News that matter in Papua New Guinea
Kairuku Open seat counting officials sorting out the first lot of ballot boxes from the Kuni LLG yesterday at the Murray Barracks counting centre yesterday. – Nationalpic by KENNEDY BANI
GE22 counting of ballots
for PNG’s capital starts
PORT MORESBY: Counting of General Election 2022 (GE22)
ballots for Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s capital and its regional seat has started and
scheduled for completion by July 25, National Capital District (NCD) Election
Manager Kila Ralai says.
“We are confident that
the team of 180 counting officials, working day and night, will complete
counting for Moresby South and NCD regional seats well before the return of
election writs on July 29,” he added.
A total of 90- day-shift
and 90 night-shift workers in Rita Flynn will be continuously counting the
ballot papers,” Ralai said.
PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below a few GE22 news updates as published by The National:
Counting for NCD starts
July 19, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
COUNTING for National
Capital District’s (NCD) regional seat is finally underway and will hopefully
be completed by July 25, says NCD election manager Kila Ralai.
Ralai said he was confident that his team of 180 counting officials working day
and night would complete counting for Moresby South and NCD regional seats well
before the return of writs on July 29.
A total of 90 day shift and 90 night shift workers situated at Rita Flynn will
be continuously counting the open electorate and regional ballot papers.
Counting for the 125 ballot boxes for Moresby South began yesterday morning, in
shifts of three teams working with 15 boxes.
Ralai noted that by 4pm, the first 15 ballot boxes for Moresby South were completed
after which the night shift continued on with the next 15.
He said the process for the regional ballots would see scrutineers check all
boxes before counting of ballots from Moresby South, Moresby North-West and
Moresby North-East began.
He said he expected counting to be completed on or before July 25.
“I’ve got 499 boxes to be counted for all three open electorates for the
regional seat, as soon as we knock off the first 15 boxes, then the night shift
will be on standby to start counting the next 15 and so on until we’re done,”
he said.
Returning officer relieved after North-East
counting finally commenced
By HELEN TARAWA
COUNTING for Moresby
North-East (MNE) electorate in the National Capital District has finally
started yesterday afternoon.
Returning officer Billy George told The National that he was relieved that MNE
counting had finally gotten off the ground.
“It’s a big relief that we’re starting now, working with the candidates, all
coming to an understanding with the help of the security forces as well,” he
said.
“A lot of the issues were security based so now that everything is in place,
it’s a relief to get it started.”
MNE is the largest electorate in the National Capital District with four wards;
5, 6, 9 and 12.
George said a total of 200 counting officials had been engaged and would be
working shifts, night and day.
He said closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras had been installed at the Sir
John Guise Stadium to monitor the counting process.
George also said 152 scrutineers for the 76 candidates would work alongside the
counting officials to ensure a transparent process.
He said MNE was the last electorate in NCD to start after so many delays due to
security issues.
Counting for the other electorates in NCD, Moresby North-West started on Sunday
while counting for Moresby South and the regional seat started yesterday.
George said they anticipated completing counting before July 22.
All the writs are expected to be returned by July 29.
Central counting underway, says official
Kairuku Open seat
counting officials sorting out the first lot of ballot boxes from the Kuni LLG
yesterday at the Murray Barracks counting centre yesterday. – Nationalpic by
KENNEDY BANI
COUNTING for Central
began after lunch yesterday at Murray Barracks in Port Moresby with the first
four boxes in the Kairuku district.
Retuning officer Henry Oa said a total of 50 ballot boxes will be counted which
included the regional ballot boxes from Kairuku.
“25 ballots will be counted for the open seat while the other 25 will be for
the regional seat,” he said.
He said counting should not take more than a week because they only had three
local level governments (LLG) in the district.
“The first count started with team one and two in the Kuni LLG and would
continue from there,” Oa said.
He said a petition was presented yesterday by some candidates contesting the
Kairuku Open seat seeking to have two scrutineers representing them instead of
one.
Hiri-Koiari candidate withdraws application to
stop counting
By BEVERLY PETER
HIRI-KOIARI Open
candidate Bruno Saiho’s application to stop the counting of the electorate’s
ballot papers was discontinued yesterday in the National Court.
Justice Joseph Yagi at Waigani granted leave to discontinue the application and
ordered Saiho to pay the defendant’s cost in the matter which are Electoral
Commissioner Simon Sinai and the PNG Election Commission (EC).
The decision was made following Saiho’s application through his lawyer Brenden
Lai to discontinue the matter after going through a Supreme Court decision made
in relation to powers of the Electoral Commission.
Solicitor General Tauvasa Tanuvasa representing the EC and Sinai upon
mentioning the case said the EC was not subjected to be controlled by any
person or authority under section 126, sub-section 7.
Tanuvasa based his objection to the application on the Supreme Court decision
of SCA 72 of 2006, a case between Electoral Commission and William Skate which
arose from National Capital District by-election in 2006.
He said the Supreme Court had made it clear in that case that any authority
could not interfere in the election process while it was still in progress.
“Supreme Court in the decision said the EC is not subjected to direction or
control by any person or authority,” Tanuvasa said.
He said the appropriate way to invalidate such an election was by way of
election petition under section 206 of the Organic Law after the completion of
election process.
Lai, when applying for a discontinuation, said his client would consider filing
an election petition after the return of writs.
The application in this proceeding sought to declare that the voting in
Hiri-Koiari Open was illegal.
Attempt to stop counting
July 19, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
WAPENAMANDA MP Rimbink
Pato and two other candidates filed an application in the National Court
yesterday to stop the counting of six ballot boxes in the electorate.
Independent candidate Justin Bero Sarimbu’s lawyer Nathan Pilamb told the court
before Judge Joseph Yagi that they wanted counting to stop because they
believed the boxes were tampered with during transportation of ballot papers.
“We have written to Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai and will now serve the
document to his office to allow the process of service to proceed before we
move our notice of motion in this matter,” Pilamb said.
He then asked the court to adjourn the case and the court granted it by setting
tomorrow for hearing.
Other applicant in the matter was also an independent candidate for Wapenamanda
open, Danny Terep Katie.
The defendants named in the proceeding were Wapenamanda open Returning Officer
(RO) Kevin Yati, Enga election manager Anton Iamau and Sinai.
The applicants in the matter sought to stop the counting of ballot boxes: Awas
box number 01, Tupikore box number 02, Aipanda box number 03, Alubalam box
number 08, Takaepos box number 22, and Pombapos box number 22.
Pilamb said they claimed there were some shifting of ballot papers between
those boxes and sought to challenge the legality of the election in the
electoral.
The applicants further sought to restrain assistant Wapenamanda RO Judi Wasea
from performing her duties in the electorate pending the case.
The matter returns tomorrow for hearing.
Air Niugini cancels flights into Goroka due to
fights
A GENERAL Election
2022 (GE22)-related fight in Eastern Highlands’ Goroka forced Air Niugini
flights to be cancelled on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
Commander Superintendent Michael Welly commended the efforts of security
personnel, made up of soldiers, Correctional Services men and police for
getting the situation under control swiftly.
Welly said supporters and candidates for Daulo arrived by truck-loads in Goroka
town demanding to destroy ballot boxes they suspected of containing extra
ballot papers, causing panic and fear in Goroka on Thursday.
He said supporters of the two candidates for Unggai-Bena seat in another
incident also contributed to Air Niugini to cancel its flights.
“Flights resumed on Friday midday after I had spoken to the candidates and the
rowdy supporters were arrested,” he added.
Welly appealed to the people to maintain maturity that the town did not
belonged to them only.
“If you want to chase each other and fight, go back to your villages,” he
added.
He said any more GE22-related problems brought into town and peace and normalcy
disrupted, candidates responsible would be questioned and eventually arrested.
Voters say ‘not enough’ ballot papers at polling
A man on crutches was
helped by polling officials at the Twentytoea Market to vote. – Nationalpic by
ZACHERY PER
SHORTAGE of ballot
papers was experienced in many booths when voting was conducted in Chimbu
yesterday.
Many voters raised concern that ballot papers coming to each polling station
were fewer than those received in the General Election 2017 (GE17).
Willie Umba, a spokesman for the Twentytoea Market polling station in Kundiawa,
described GE22 as a failed election.
“We normally get more than 1,500 ballot papers but how come we are getting 700
ballots.”
Female voter and spokesperson Martha Kaiun said the Electoral Commission failed
to exercise separate voting for women as they succumbed to pressures mounted on
them by voters.
She wants EC and the Government to introduce a new electoral system.
Chimbu election manager Rev Tom Sine said the ballot papers were evenly
distributed according to the common roll.
He said the distribution of ballot papers were done according to the 2017
electoral roll and he did not understand why the voters were complaining about
shortages.
Sine said polling teams were placed late yesterday due to logistical
constraints.
Sine said polling teams for remote locations in Salt-Nomane-Karamui and Gumine
districts were placed and taken away by helicopters while in other districts it
was done by vehicles.
Three candidates seeking single counting
centre for Wewak
By CLARISSA MOI
THE National Court in Wewak has adjourned a matter filed by three Wewak open
candidates seeking to challenge the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision over
multi counting locations in Wewak.
Acting Judge Taunamo Micah Rei yesterday adjourned the matter to the registry
after being informed by State lawyer Enoch Manihambu of Supreme Court orders
handed down on Friday that set aside the National Court orders which stopped
the counting of ballot papers for Wewak.
Manihambu upon instructions from Solicitor-General Tauvasa Tanuvasa appeared in
court.
He handed a copy of the Supreme Court’s orders, with an affidavit from State
lawyer Troy Mileng who was present in court during the decision.
Raphael Saulep (Independent), Stanley Muts Samban (Papua New Guinea Party) and
Jerry Junembary (People’s Transformation Party) had filed applications in the
Wewak National Court seeking to compel the EC to arrange a single counting
centre.
On July 8, acting Judge Rei had restrained EC to start counting of ballot
papers for Wewak until further court orders.
On July 13, a consent order was signed by Saulep, Samban and Junembary without
the knowledge and authority of the EC affectively, to have the counting in one
location in Wewak.
Following those orders, the Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai and EC through
Tanuvasa filed an urgent application in the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon
seeking leave to appeal and to stay those orders.
Tanuvasa submitted that the primary judge had erred in law in failing to give
proper consideration to the nature of the case as it concerned the
administrative functions of the EC.
“The electoral process must not be interfered with.
“The court must be slow to restrain the Electoral Commission in administering
the process.”
Justice Derek Hartshorn said the decisions of the primary judge had affected
the functions of the Electoral Commission.
“The Constitution is very clear,” he said.
“EC is not subject to direction or control by any person or authority.”
Justice Hartshorn then granted leave for Sinai and EC to appeal.
Tanuvasa stated that Sinai was not given an opportunity to be heard before the
consent orders were endorsed.
Justice Hartshorn said it appeared that the National Court proceeding was
incompetent given that there was no evidence that section 5 notice of the
Claims By and Against the State Act had not been given to the State before the
start of the proceeding.
“To my mind, respondents’ rights will not be affected if the stay sought in
this matter is granted.
“For the interest of justice and for the public, the votes of the people that
have been cast must proceed into counting as soon as possible.
“It is in the interest of justice that Sinai exercises his power under the
Constitution to foresee that the election proceeds as planned.”
The court also ordered Saulep, Samban and Junembary and their servants and
agents not to interfere with the electoral process subject to Organic Law on
National and Local Level Government Elections.
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