Generally, the Local Level Government Election in Central Province has been conducted peacefully, with few major incidents reported throughout the Province. Central Provincial Police Commander Chief Inspector Joseph Salle confirmed that there were some major incidents reported, one of which occurred in the Vanapa Brown area, where three people were arrested during the polling. He stated that other incidents were reported in Goilala District, where people had disagreements about their names not being on the common roll, which forced some of the LLG president counting to happen in Port Moresby. PPC Salle also added that another incident was reported at Kupino station, where an old man was seriously injured during the counting, and police reinforcements were sent, which led to the completion of all the counting in the Abau District.
“One of the most reported issues during the LLG election is eligible voters missing out on voting. The other issue faced was the fewer number of ballot papers printed compared to the number of eligible voters in that ward or voting area. Generally, police presence had made people listen to the polling officers who were with the polling teams during the polling. This must be an eye-opener to the authorities concerned, and they must not repeat the same in the National General Election in 2027,” PPC Salle said.
He said that so far, Central Province had voted for their ward councillors and their presidents for each LLG, which the police are looking forward to working with in each community. He said the leaders whom the people voted for must now assist the police in making sure each community is peaceful.
PPC Salle thanked his police officers who had ensured that the election went smoothly until the end, with the declaration of each ward councilor and the LLG presidents throughout the province. He also thanked the people of Central who did not argue or cause trouble when their names were not on the list. They understood the explanations from the electoral officers and let them do their job.
End.
