Bville election counting set to start

Regional Returning Officer, Peter Wanga, said after a short rehearsal with counting officials, ballot boxes for Bougainvilleans inside Bougainville (BIB’s) and Bougainvilleans outside Bougainville (BOB’s) will be opened for sorting.

This will be followed by the presidential ballot boxes and the regional ballot boxes at respective count centres.  

“We expect every step of the sorting, transfer and scrutiny process to be orderly, accurate and transparent,” Wanga said.

“Candidate scrutineers, international and local observer groups and the media will be present at respective count centres to check every step of the process and therefore we are confident that the process be free and fair,” he said.

All the 20 assistant returning officers will be assisting the four returning officers in the four count centres for the general election in the region.

Sorting of the ballot papers for BIB’s, BOB’s and presidential ballot boxes is expected to commence today, followed by single constituency ballots in each region.

Bougainville Electoral Commissioner, George Manu, said the purpose of the sorting is to identify misplaced ballot papers and have them put into the correct packets.

“The sorting process is necessary to ensure that, if a voter has placed a ballot paper in the wrong ballot box, the ballot paper will be returned to the respective count centre before formal scrutiny (i.e. counting) begins,” he stated.

“We strongly encourage all candidate scrutineers, international and local observer groups along with media representatives to be present at respective counting centres to see through the process.”

After the sorting has been done with, the misplaced ballot papers will be packed into constituency/region packets and all ballots will be sealed. The packages will then be deposited into a ballot box and transported to police stations for safe keeping and will be transported to respective count centres immediately.

“We’ll complete the sorting as quickly as possible, but as slowly as is necessary to ensure everything is by the book, and allows the scrutiny of observers, scrutineers and the media,” Manu said.

Formal counting will begin as soon as sorting process is completed and ballot papers are in their respective counting centres.

Counting centre venues for the 2020 Bougainville General Election:

  • Presidential Count Centre – United Church Hall at Hutjena and the Regional Returning Officer is Peter Wanga
  • North Bougainville Count Centre – United Church in Buka Town and the Returning Officer is Marcelline Kiarei
  • Central Bougainville Count Centre – Tupukas Primary School in Arawa and the Returning Officer is Denise Palipal
  • South Bougainville Count Centre –Bernard Kepa Cocoa Shed (behind OBEC Office in Buin) and the Returning Officer is Chris Toke
Author: 
Press release