Fourteen ballot boxes have been locked up at Tinputz in North Bougainville after service providers refused to transport the boxes to Buka.
The service providers are demanding the Electoral Commission to pay their outstanding payments before the ballot boxes are released.
The service providers are owed outstanding payments of K29 000 from the 2012 National Elections and K49 000 from the 2015 Autonomous Region of Bougainville Elections.
Bougainville election manager Desmond Pimiyaso said despite this hiccup, polling has been running smoothly with no intimidation, harassments or threats to voters and polling officials.
Meantime, polling in Tinputz was completed on Friday, June 30th while the rest of polling in the region is scheduled to be completed by Tuesday followed by training of counting officials.
The start date of counting is yet to be confirmed.
Counting will take place at Buka for North and Central Bougainville and counting for South Bougainville will take place at Buin.
Pimiyaso said 9500 extra ballot papers were transport by the Australia Defense Force to Buka on Saturday.
He explained that the number of eligible voters in Bougainville has increased due to the use of the preliminary roll.
The extra ballot papers are now locked up at Buka Police Station and will only be distributed upon request by polling officials.
In total there are 935 polling officials and 187 polling teams taking part in the 2017 national elections in the region.
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