Elections

This is one of the key topics of training given to Political Party Executives at the Learning and Development Workshop in Port Moresby today.

Lotte Geunis, a Suva based Parliamentary Consultant with the United Nations Development Program, informed participants of the workshop on the importance of gender mainstreaming in political parties.

In an interview with Loop PNG, Geunis said intending women candidates find it difficult to run for seats and one of the reasons was because of the lack of endorsement.

The revelations threatened to put the controversy over Trump's refusal to follow recent precedent and release his tax returns at the center of the presidential campaign less than 40 days before the election, after a week in which the Republican nominee has struggled to bounce back from a debate in which most analysts and scientifically conducted polls scored Clinton as the winner.

PNG's registrar of Political Parties, Alphonse Gelu, last week suggested that electors should vote for parties rather than individual political candidates.

He mooted the idea with a view to strengthening political parties.

Paul Barker from the Institute of National Affairs said a simple system is needed as the current one is too complicated to easily convey what individual candidates stand for.

Parkop who is also the NCDC chairman presented a cheque of K197,100 to the PNG Electoral Commission yesterday, for its electoral photo roll-out pilot project at Gerehu commencing at Keisu Block (Stage 2).

The pilot project will be done in February.

PNGEC Commissioner Patilias Gamato said the electoral photo helps to eliminate gross abuse which is a common knowledge during elections in the country.    

“To try and identify people when they want to come to vote in election time because in urban centres it is very difficult to identify people,”

After a special Coalition party-room meeting on Tuesday rejected proposals to give members a free vote on the issue, the prime minister pledged to take it to the people, through a plebiscite or referendum.

On Sunday, he ruled out holding a public poll at the same time as the federal election.

Elections should not be held in current conditions, characterized by insecurity and by lack of freedom of expression and movement, said Agathon Rwasa who's vying for the presidency as an independent candidate.

There is intimidation and assassination of opposition figures and more than 127,000 people have fled the country for fear of violence, Rwasa said in a telephone interview.