Commission gets K400 million to run 2017 elections

The PNG Electoral Commission has been given K400 million to run the 2017 National Election.

The writs for the election will be issued on April 20 next year.

In a 2014 report, released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia’s assistance to PNG, to help it hold elections over the last decade, showed that elections in the country are one of the most expensive in the world.

The evaluation estimates that the PNG Government spent $US207 million on the 2012 elections, and the Australian Government spent another $US35 million. This takes the total cost per voter to $US63, the highest in the world. The typical cost of an election is apparently US$5 per voter.

What’s more, elections are getting more expensive in PNG. The report estimates that the 2007 election cost 68 percent more than the 2002 election and the 2012 election cost 54 percent more than the 2007 election. Therefore the 2012 election was 2.6 times as expensive as the 2002 one – and all those numbers are after inflation.

Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato told the media at the Press Budget lock-up that the funding is sufficient in hosting the upcoming election.

(Picture: The Garamut)

Author: 
Charles Yapumi