PNG NATIONAL GENERAL ELECTIONS 2022 - POLLING ON BOUGAINVILLE

 

VOTING MOVING SLOWLY ON BOUGAINVILLE

This roadblock was removed by angry relatives of a man who was bashed up by his Buin in-laws. Picture by JACOB IENU

BY PETERSON TSERAHA in ARAWA

POLLING has now officially commenced in Central Bougainville, according to returning officer Wendell Tiotorau from the Electoral office in Arawa.

Since polling materials arrived on Monday afternoon, electoral officials started sorting them out until Tuesday. 

He said 38 polling teams have been deployed to their locations.

“First of all I would like to apologize to the people of central Bougainville and Bougainville as a whole for the deferral of the polls we are supposed to be on the third day of polling now as gazetted but we were unfortunate this did not happen,” Tiotorau said. 

“The delay occurred due to the shipments of materials here logistical wise did not happen fast. 

“I would like to take this time to thank the people of Central Bougainville that despite the delays the cooperation by the people has been very excellent.

The polling booth in Arawa Urban, Ward 1, Section Six.

“As I mentioned earlier on 38 teams have been deployed and their are now conducting the voting’s now on the first day.

"The polling will go on until Friday where we will suspend all polling and rest for the weekend then next week Monday and Tuesday will be the last two days of polling.

"As usual all ballot boxes will be locked at the Arawa police station.

“To those teams that are inland where vehicles cannot reach them there will be specific storages for safe keeping where the presiding officer knows off,” Tiotorau said.

“I have reminded all my polling officials that when they are out in the field they are representing us and that they must conduct the polling professionally play their part out there and let me play mine here in the office.

“Though we had hick ups from service providers, this must not stop us from going forward with the elections.” Tiotorau said. 

“We are trying our very best to impress observers here what kind of people we are.”

Meanwhile in South Bougainville the Electoral office in Buin has been reopened and polling teams plus police officers have been deployed and the recent road blocks at Koromira in the Central Bougainville have been removed by chiefs. 

So according to Bougainville police Chief ACP Francis Tokura said there will be a smooth flow of the elections.

He said 600 plus men and women of the security force deployed on Bougainville will be engaged to provide security during the polling on Bougainville for the national elections.

Chief of Bougainville Police Service Acting Commissioner of Police (ACP) Francis Tokura said, on Bougainville alone there are regular police reservists and Community Auxiliary Police (CAP) plus 43 correctional services officers based in Bekut Buka Island, plus additional 10 police officers from Port Moresby have already been flown in to assist.

“With deployment all my commanders have already submitted and done there supplementary orders my commanders from North South and central, this also involves the deployment of all their members in all the three regions,” Commissioner Tokura said.

A woman is being assisted by a poling official at the Morgan junction voting booth. 

“According to the lection manager polling is going to be for only one week and by July 10 or 11 polling should be completed and ballot boxes will be transported back to their respective centres in Buka Arawa and Buin in preparation for counting.”

“The first seven days of the counting will be the primary counts for the open seats in which we have also prepared to provide security which means there will also be a declaration within those seven days, then all ballot papers for the regional seat will then be taken up to Buka where quality checks and elimination for the regional seat will commence and that will take another seven days again.” ACP Tokura said.

ACP Tokura said hopefully everything should be completed by July 27 or 28 which the Electoral Commissioner has to travel to Port Moresby because the writs will be returned on July 29.

“The time frame itself given to us by the Electoral Commission will be quite stressful but we are ready for deployment, our only hurdle now is the weather especially our officers deployed to rugged terrain areas and the atolls that will need a ship to get there,”  ACP Tokura said.

“All I ask from my BPS officers is to be neutral and not to take sides just provide security and let the Electoral commission deliver these election.”

Meanwhile, polling has now officially started in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville very quietly without any noise caused by anxiety from voters and supporters. 

In Arawa central Bougainville polling officials were out of their beds when the clock struck 5 am and by 8 o’clock the polling venues were set up. 

In Arawa town the former Mobil service station at section 6 in Arawa is the first polling venue to be set up. Then tomorrow will be the famous Marimari church. 

That is for Kieta district. For Panguna district a polling booth has been set up at the Morgan junction market, Siredonsi and up at the former Panguna mine township. The section 6 polling booth featured the member for north Nasioi and ABG finance Minister Mathias Salas casting his vote. 

The first ABG Minister to cast his vote Mathias Salas slowly walks away from the ballot box.