Counting in Maprik district, East Sepik Province is expecting an elimination soon as there is no absolute majority reached.
As of this morning, quality checks were progressing for Maprik electorate for each LLG with elimination expected tomorrow. Five LLGs have completed their quality checks with elimination expected after Count number two later today.
The five LLGs of Maprik district are: Maprik Urban, yet for quality check; 2. Maprik Wora LLG also yet to check for quality, 3. Yamil Tamaui LLG is second LLG, currently doing the quality check after Albiges Mamblep LLG, which was the first to go into quality checks yesterday.
Bumbita Muhain LLG yet to do quality check. It is hopeful that all quality checks be done today for all five LLGs to go into elimination tomorrow.
According to Returning Officer, Godffrey Sokomia, there were 28 boxes for 28 counting teams to do the counting.
He said that generally the polling went well in the district except for Yamil Tamaui, where two ballot boxes were destroyed.
“Otherwise so far so good in all LLGs and we went through the scrutiny counting and completed in 5 LLGs the first preferences and now going into the elimination process today,” Sokomia said.
“So we have put out our scores, the tally record found out that no one candidate has scored an absolute majority. The candidate with the highest score after the count from Maprik Urban LLG was the sitting member, John Simon who scored 13,167, and former member Gabriel Kapris scoring 9,512.
In the third placing is a female candidate Hilda Griffin scoring 5,856, fourth placing Sani Sani scoring 3,173 and 5th Vincent Alois Yangori at 2799 votes.
Out of all those scores the total allowable ballot were 47,139 in count and the absolute majority is 23,571, but none of the contesting candidates has scored that, therefore the electorate will now go into the elimination process.
That is for the open electorate while for regional seat, counting commenced today.