Opposition Leader Don Polye will instruct his lawyers to file a slip rule application against the Supreme Court’s decision.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ordered a re-count of all ballot boxes, including the 5 boxes that were disputed, in the Kandep Open election of 2012.
Justices Allen David, Jacinta Murray and Frazer Pitpit, in a unanimous decision, upheld the two separate Supreme Court election petition reviews that were filed by Don Polye and Alfred Luke Manase.
The three-judge Supreme Court bench quashed order 1 of the National Court Election Petition that set aside Polye’s election as member elect for Kandep. It also ordered the Electoral Commission to conduct a re-count of the ballot papers within the next 30 days.
Though Polye welcomed the decision, he called on petitioner Manase to be realistic.
There are only six months remaining before the issue of writs for the next election, he states.
“I will remain as the member for Kandep and Opposition Leader, pending the outcome of the counting.”