The number of registered Political Parties stands at 37, as of today, with seven more in the process of registration.
The number was confirmed by Registrar of Political Parties, Dr Alphonse Gelu, who also projected that this number could increase to 44 before the Issue of Writs.
Out of the 37 registered Political Parties, just 19 of them currently have members in parliament.
The Registry of Political Parties today conducted a one day forum for Political Party Executives with members in parliament.
In a news conference, which took place after the forum, Registrar Dr Alphonse Gelu expressed his disappointment that only 12 of the 19 registered Political Parties, with members in parliament, attended the forum.
The purpose of the forum was to inform the executives of their entitlements, especially the General Secretaries.
On the increasing number of Political Parties, Dr Gelu said that with the Revised Organic Law still in parliament, there is no deadline to stop the registration of political parties as elections draw near.
Dr Gelu said it’s the Registry’s vision to have strong political parties in PNG that are well structured organisations, with monitoring and reporting systems that can come out and address major national issues.
