Three contesting candidates remain of the nine candidates who registered to contest the Rabaul Open Seat as counting progresses into the 6th Exclusion.
Candidate Wayne Coleman who polled 1,515 after the 5th Exclusion registered the least number of votes, therefore is being eliminated from the contest for the Rabaul Open Seat.
Remaining candidates are incumbent member, Dr Allan Marat with a progressive count of 4,684 after receiving 181 second and third preferences from Wayne Coleman’s shared votes. Three time contender for the Rabaul Open Seat, Raymond Paulias, who received 337 votes bringing his progressive total to 3,084 and Graham Piniau received 289 votes to bring his progressive votes to 3,486.
A total of 903 ballot papers were registered Exhausted after the elimination of Candidate Wayne Coleman as candidates who were to have received the votes were excluded from the contest hence reducing the total number of allowable ballot papers to continue to be counted to be 12,769, therefore reducing the Absolute Majority to 6, 386.
In the 6th Elimination, 1,515 votes will be distributed to candidates Allan Marat, Raymond Paulias and Graham Piniau.
Not all ballot papers will be distributed as some will be declared exhausted which will reduce the Absolute Majority.
At the 6th Exclusion, Dr Allan Marat has polled a Progressive of 4,684 votes, Raymond Paulias has a progressive votes of 3,084 and PANGU Pati candidate Graham Piniau has mastered 3,486 votes.
The Absolute Majority after the 5th Exclusion is 6,386 and a candidate reaching this Absolutely Majority will be declared after the 6th Exclusion.
If none of the remaining three candidates reach the Absolute Majority after the 6th Elimination, the Exclusion will be forced to the 7th Exclusion which will see the votes of the candidate with the least number of votes after 6th Exclusion distributed to the two remaining candidates.