Parliament will resume on January 24, 2016 for its second last sitting session for this year before adjourning to March for the final session.
Parliament will be in recess for the 2017 National Elections until the formation of the new government in September.
The main Bills to be addressed during this remaining parliament session will include the increased nomination fees and the reduced campaign period.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill told Parliament in August last year that the election cost is increasing yearly and the PNG Electoral Commission must find a way to help subsidise the cost.
He said increasing the nomination fees for candidates is an area the government is looking into.
“One way we can do that is increase the nomination fees, I think K1,000 for national elections is a bit too low. That money does not come to consolidated revenue, it goes straight into the EC account to meet some costs of running the elections in the country.
However, the Opposition has indicated that it is set to challenge the government’s proposal to increase the nomination fee from K1000 to K10,000 if this Bill is passed in Parliament.
Opposition Leader, Don Polye said they would take the matter to the Supreme Court if the Government uses its numerical strength to bulldoze the Bill through in Parliament.
Given that K400 million was allocated for the General Elections in the 2017 Budget, he questions why the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is proposing what he described as ‘unconstitutional and draconian law to cripple a certain group of people.’
Meanwhile, the theme of the elections in 2017 is "Your choice, protect our democracy".
Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato launched the theme in March 2016.
Gamato says the theme showcases the importance of the elections and the power of responsibility in the hands of the voters.
He said the future freedom of the country is in the hands of our citizens.
“When choosing leaders, voters must bear in mind that it is a prime choice that they make.”
The issue of Writs and Nomination will open on Thursday, April 20, 2017 and will close on April 27, with polling to start on June 24 and end on July 8.
Return of Writs will be on or before July 24, while the LLG Election, the return of Writs is August 7.
The nomination period is seven days, from April 20 to 27, campaigning will run for eight weeks from April 20 to July 8. The polling period is 14 days, from June 24 to July 8.