KOKOPO, 31 AUGUST 2018 (POST COURIER) – Papua New Guinea Organic Law on National and Local Level Governments Elections and related electoral laws and systems should be reviewed and adapted to tighten the increasing election related violence round the country.
East New Britain Deputy Governor Cosmas Bauk brought this to the attention of the team from the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission in Kokopo.
Bauk said the election patterns have changed over time around the country and laws have to be tightened to safeguard the integrity of the election system.
He said there has been an increase in election related violence in the recent 2017 election.
Bauk said ENB, being a peaceful province, has also experienced some form of disruption during the 2017 elections.
“Election processes must protect ethics and values of what the election process is all about. There is a need for the review of the election laws, and this review is important,” Bauk said.
He said in the past years, ENB has never experienced any election related violence however, the trend is slowly changing.
For the first time after numerous national elections in the country, ENB had filed two election petitions following the 2017 national elections.
Bauk said PNG will see bloodshed in the near future and the commission has to be serious on reforming the laws that govern the elections to make the elections free from such.
He also raised the issue of people voting for the ward members and their LLG presidents as well.
The consultation was attended by ward members and LLG presidents throughout ENB…..
