Prime Minister Peter O’Neill confirmed that the date for the Issue of Writs for the 2017 National Elections will not change.
O’Neill was responding to a supplementary question in Parliament from Sinasina-Yongumugl MP Kerenga Kua today.
Kua asked the Prime Minister to confirm the date of the issue of writs which Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato was quoted in the local media as saying that it will be delayed by one month from the current date of April 20.
O’Neill said: “The dates published by the Electoral Commissioner is that the issue of writs will be on April 20, that has not changed, it will be issued on that date, as far as I am concerned.
“But the only issue before us is the deferring of the council (LLG) elections by 12 months because all our councillors throughout the country are saying that they chose to serve five years and not four years.
“That is the issue on the Notice Paper on the floor of Parliament for deliberation.”
The Prime Minister confirmed that the Constitutional change to the Organic Law on National and Local-level Government will shorten the campaign period and also increase the nomination fees for intending candidates from K1, 000 to K10,000.
The first reading to amend the Organic Law on National and Local-level Government was done in today’s sitting of Parliament after.
Picture by Kennedy Bani.