ELECTION 2012 MEDIA BRIEFING SITUATION REPORT ON POLLING AND COUNTING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

ELECTION 2012 MEDIA BRIEFING  SITUATION REPORT ON POLLING AND COUNTING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY In this media briefing, I wish to inform the people of Papua New Guinea, all the stakeholders, the business community, donor agencies as well as the international community that all polling in most provinces is expected to be completed within the two weeks polling period which ends on Friday July 6 as per the 2012 election time table. Due to delays with the start of polling and bad weather in some areas, helicopter schedules have been reworked on a daily basis to meet the transportation requirements for polling teams. Some polling teams have chosen to walk sections of their routes rather than take air transport but arrangements have been made to collect ballot boxes for return to counting centers. Regional Progressive Reports Momase In the Momase Region, all the provinces are happy with the support that has been given in terms of logistics, training and operations from the PNGEC headquarters in Port Moresby. Morobe Weather continues to make some areas inaccessible by air. Nonetheless, the helicopter schedule is being amended daily and the helicopters are now focusing on extracting polling teams and ballot boxes from their respective polling locations. Most polling has progressed with little need for security. Counting for Morobe Province is expected to commence in Lae on Thursday July 5. Madang Earlier issues with the size of polling teams have been resolved and polling is progressing well. The Madang Provincial Election Steering Committee is monitoring progress and has made contingency plans should there be further delays due to bad weather. However, good progress was made on Sunday (July 01) with a number of polling teams across the province having completed their polling. Ballot Boxes have been picked up and returned to counting centers. So far only 78 out of total 175 polling teams have completed polling. ESP Polling continues to progress and is expected to be completed well within the polling period. There are now only 10 teams to complete polling. Wewak Open electorate – 1 team, Yangorru Open electorate - 2 teams and Angoram Open electorate – 7 teams. Meanwhile, I have received a letter this morning from PNG Defence Commander Brigadier General Francis Agwi that he regrets the decision NOT TO allow counting for Yangoru-Saussia and Wewak open electorates to occur at Moem Barracks due to serious allegations leveled against the Commanding Officer and his men at the command. My Election Manager in Wewak Kila Ralai called a special PESC meeting in his office on the matter and the PESC accepted Commander Agwi’s decision.  Alternative venues for counting in ESP are as follows: Wewak Open electorate at Kaindi Teachers College; ESP Provincial to shift to Dagua Council Chambers; and Yangoru/Saussia at the Wewak Golf Club. The Provincial Tally Room will be at Provincial Electoral Office at Dagua road. This would mean that counting for East Sepik will be further delayed until these four locations are ready for use because it may also take time to re-organize the change of locations. WSP Weather has continued to affect the use of helicopters in some areas of West Sepik Province. The second helicopter returned to the province yesterday (Monday July 2). The progress of polling in the remote Telefomin and Oksapmin is a concern as only 3 of the 26 polling teams have been able to complete polling.  Yesterday (Monday July 2) one helicopter was working in these two areas. In Aitape/Lumi Open electorate 56 out of 58 polling teams have completed polling; in Nuku Open electorate 7 of 16 teams have completed polling and in Vanimo-Green Open electorate 69 of 80 polling teams have completed polling. Southern Western Good progress is now being made with air support activities and if there are no further interruptions all polling team should be airlifted to their respective polling areas by tomorrow (Wednesday July 3).  Polling for the province may continue till July 11 Gulf Final polling activities continued yesterday and most ballot boxes and other election materials should be returned by tomorrow (Wednesday July 4). All polling activities in Gulf should be completed by Friday July 06. However, an analysis of polling team air movements in Gulf suggests that it may not be possible for all teams to complete by Friday because by then only Teams 22 and 30 will have not completed their polling. But counting for Gulf is still planned to commence on Monday July 9. NCD Yesterday’s issue regarding the payment of polling allowances has not been resolved and counting for NCD will commence tomorrow Wednesday July 4. Central Polling is completed in all the electorates and the last polling team will be extracted and returned yesterday (Monday July 2) and all the ballot boxes and documentation are now in safe storage. The Central Province Election Steering Committee has determined that counting will commence on Monday July 9. Milne Bay Polling in the province is winding down and is expected to be completed by Friday July 6. Counting for Milne Bay is expected to commence either on Monday July 9 or Tuesday July 10. NGI West New Britain Only one (1) polling team has been delayed by bad weather but it is expected to return tomorrow Wednesday July 4 which will complete polling activities for West New Britain. Counting for WNB is expected to commence on Friday July 6. East New Britain Polling continued yesterday Monday July 2. All polling teams requiring air support have completed polling and are awaiting extraction for their polling areas. Counting for East New Britain is expected to start next week Monday July 9. Manus Island All polling activities in Manus have been completed yesterday and 19 of the 21 polling teams have returned and the ballot boxes are at the Lorengau police station. The last 2 teams returned this morning. Counting for Manus is expected to commence this afternoon at the Sahat Hall in Lorengau. New Ireland Polling in the Kavieng Open electorate has been completed and all the polling teams have returned while polling for Namatanai will mostly be completed by today or tomorrow Wednesday July 4. We hoped that counting can commence tomorrow Wednesday July 4 in Kavieng for both electorates. The counting for Namatanai Open electorate will now be moved to Kavieng because of electricity supply issues. Bougainville The New Zealand AID chartered vessel departed Madang at around 1200hrs yesterday (Monday July 2) and is due to arrive in Buka on Thursday morning July 5. The vessel is to transport polling teams and materials around the Bougainville atolls with polling expected to be completed on around July 9. Polling will conclude in most areas in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville today on Tuesday July 3. At date for counting is yet to be set for Bougainville. Highlands SHP Counting continues in Mendi today for all the electorates in the Southern Highlands Province. Count was temporarily halted in SHP today due to a disagreement following the accidental counting of a contested box. However, the matter has been resolved and counting has resumed. Hela Counting began at 1:30pm yesterday in Tari and continued today. Enga Count for Kandep and Wabag Open electorates has commenced in Enga today with the electorates expected to commence counting tomorrow. WHP Voting started yesterday Monday July 2 and continued today. Jiwaka Polling has been deferred to tomorrow Wednesday July 4, however, preparations for the distribution of election materials to polling teams have commenced. Chimbu Polling is scheduled to commence on Friday July 6. EHP Date for polling is yet to be confirmed. APPROVED FOR RELEASE ANDREW S. TRAWEN, CMG, MBE ELECTORAL COMMISSIONER Tuesday 03 July, 2012