Election Manager

Morobe is one province gearing up for the LLG elections.

Despite not receiving the Working Roll, residents are still urged to visit the electoral office in Lae and check their names. 

Election manager Simon Soheke says they expect to receive the Working Roll in the coming weeks and have it distributed to each of the 568 wards in the Province for voters to check their names.

The “Working Roll” is the Electoral Roll used in the 2017 National General Elections.

It will be used to check and confirm names before the final roll is released for the LLG elections.

The 12 candidates who have filed a proceeding in the National Court on July 13, 2017 returned to court today.

Their lawyer, Paul Othas told the court that they are pursuing the case because there are allegations of polling officials and scrutineers being excluded from the counting process currently underway at the Rita Flynn courts.  

 Electoral Commissioner, Patilias Gamato, made the announcement late this afternoon saying Hetinu and his assistant, Roslyn Tabogani, have been replaced.

Assuming the roles will be  Alvin Jimmy as Election Manager and Bale Kavanamur, as Assistant Election Manager.

The announcement was made in front of disgruntled NCD candidates who fronted the EC Headquarters today seeking to present a second petition to Gamato.

The first petition was handed to Gamato yesterday following the deferral of polling in the capital city.

Election Manager, Rossie Pandihau, says the commencement of polling in the Province will depend on when polling in Simbu Province has been completed.

Polling in Jiwaka Province is scheduled for June 30.

Ms Pandihau said preparations for polling are now well on track however, the delay in polling for Simbu Province might affect them as well. This is because security forces in Simbu will move to Jiwaka once polling is completed in the former.

Pandihau says they are currently doing quality checks and pre-counting the ballot papers.

Election manager, Rossie Pandihau, said the issue arose from a certain electorate about centralising polling booths.

“This caused some candidates and supporters to disagree, resulting in an uproar.”

Pandihau said one of the returning officers was assaulted and more problems are expected to arise come the polling period in the province if the issue is not attended to quickly.

She adds that the electoral commission team has been corresponding with the team in Port Moresby to look at alternative ways to resolve the problem.

He has also questioned replaced Election Manager, David Wakias, what interest he had in his province.

He said it was very surprising for Wakias to collude with the public to stop the hand over take over ceremony for the new Election Manager, even locking the electoral office.

“He is telling everybody, including his boss, I will not move. So what’s your interest in my province I’m asking? Powi asked,

“If you can’t follow instruction from my boss, what have you got to to do in my Province.”