More than 800 election monitors will be deployed nationwide to observe and make independent reports on Papua New Guinea’s national election starting this Saturday. Electoral commissioner Patilias Gamato says international and local monitors will report back to their respective organisations, heads of governments and the government itself on the credibility of the PNG election process. “We have invited international election monitors or observers to visit during the months of June and July to see whether we have planned well for the election and also see if we followed the rule of law and the election laws on conducting the 2017 national election,” Gamato said in a statement.
“These election monitors or observers are invited from the Commonwealth Secretariat, European Union, governments of Australia and New Zealand, resident heads and staff of foreign missions from Australia, Great Britain, United States of America, France, Japan, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat, Australian National University and other election management bodies from other parts of the world,” he said.
“Our very own civil society watchdog, Transparency International (PNG) Inc., again will deploy 400 election monitors, the largest number of monitors nationwide,” Gamato said.
He also appealed for calm in the remaining seven days of campaigning and the next month of polling and counting.
Full Article: ‘Make election less disruptive’, pleads commissioner ahead of PNG ballot | Asia Pacific Report.
