Incumbent member for Gazelle Open, Jelta Wong will serve his second term in Parliament after retaining his seat today.
Wong, 44, is the third candidate in East New Britain to be declared Member of Parliament.
Returning Officer, John Wartovo declared Wong at 2.30 pm after the 31st and final exclusion at midday. Wong’s final tally was 9,348 votes with National Alliance candidate and former Gazelle MP, Malakai Tabar coming in second with 6, 373 votes. The Absolute Majority was 7,861.
First time contestant and Liberal Party candidate, Paul Raia, bowed out of the contest in the 30th exclusion with a total of 5,263 votes that was distributed to the two remaining contenders Wong and Tabar.
Wong thanked God the Father Almighty for making his victory possible.
Leading from the primary counts, it was a tough race for Wong as he was up against 32 other candidates in the race for Gazelle Open seat. He commended fellow candidates for putting up a good race.
Wong thanked international observers, security personnel and polling and counting officials that served the district. He was pleased with the commitment they have shown throughout the election period in ensuring it was free, fair and transparent.
Wong appealed to local leaders and people of Gazelle electorate to put aside their differences and unite to serve the people. He has committed to working closely with all ENB leaders and the provincial administration to chart a way forward for the province for the next five years.