A preliminary report on the current Review of the Election Law is expected to be prepared and presented to the Government in October.
This follows two months of ongoing nationwide consultation carried out in ten provinces so far by the Constitutional Law and Reform Commission and its stakeholder government departments and agencies.
CRLC Chairman and Henganofi MP, Robert Atiyafa, said the consultations have been successful, with a very good turnout from all sectors of the society.
“I was encouraged to see people expressing their views and concerns on all the 13 Terms of Reference or topics of the Review, and that despite the fact that the views differ from province to province a lot of common issues were identified,” he said this at the conclusion of the New Guinea Islands consultations this week.
The preliminary report will highlight the progress of the Review and the consultations so far.
While acknowledging the foresight of the Government in recommending the review and the funding support, Mr. Atiyafa asked if the government could release the next set of funding to continue the consultation in the remaining province.
The consultation is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with a final report to be completed and submitted to the government in the first quarter of next year.
“This review is very important because the system and method of election and election law is the backbone of democracy that has been the fabric of this nation and if we do it right together, it will continue to keep us be united into the future,” said Mr. Atiyafa.
Meanwhile, he also acknowledged the contributions from the provinces that were already covered in the consultations including Western Highlands, Jiwaka, Simbu, Eastern Highlands, Morobe, East New Britain, West New Britain, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, New Ireland, and Manus.
He also thanked the partner government stakeholders such as the Departments of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs, Justice and Attorney General, Finance, and Office of Prime Minister and NEC, as well as the PNG Electoral Commission and the Office of the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates for their support.
