NIP BY-ELECTION COUNTING TO COMMENCE

CAPTION: Ballot boxes arrive in Kavieng police station now for storage, marking the end of polling in New Ireland province for the governor seat by election.

BY FRANKIY KAPIN in Kavieng
COUNTING for the much-anticipated New Ireland provincial seat by election is almost starting to follow the securing of majority of ballot in a central location in Kavieng town as of yesterday afternoon.

Provincial Election Manager Benjamin Kliawi confirming the arrival of majority ballot boxes for mainland New Ireland  and locked up at the Kavieng police station yesterday said the bad weather has prevented completion of polling in the Lavongai and Murat LLG in Kavieng district.

Kliawi said the weather will further impact transportation of ballot boxes from the remaining outer Islands thus counting becomes an issue to be discussed and confirmed.

He said counting will start once the remaining 9 ballot boxes from Lavongai LLG and 6 from Murat LLG are brought into the central storage in Kavieng town.

Kliawi said further discussions will be convened with his Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) to set the counting date.
Per AROs confirming the securing of ballot boxes yesterday at the Kavieng police station, now locked up are as follows;
22 ballot boxes-Sentral Niu Ailan LLG, 14 ballot boxes-Namatanai LLG, Konoagil LLG-17, Matalai-11, Nimamar-15 and Tanir LLG is 14 ballot boxes covering the rest of Namatanai district and indicating completion of polling for Namatanai.

For Kavieng district so far Kavieng Urban LLG-20 ballot boxes and Tikana LLG-18 ballot boxes.,
Murat LLG completes polling of it’s 6 polling sites today while Lavongai LLG yet to complete 9 polling stations having completed 10 polling sites already ,and ballots safely secured.

The remaining ballots for both Murat and Lavongai LLG will be transported into town once polling is completed but depends entirely on favorable weather conditions according to Kliawi.