Writs Issued for Goroka By-Election

Writs for the Goroka open by-election were issued this morning at Government House.

Below is a schedule of the by-election.

Issue of Writ:                                    Thursday, 16^th July 2020(4:00pm)

Nominations Close:                        Thursday, 23^rd July 2020 (4:00pm)

Polling Starts:                                  Saturday, 12^th September 2020

Polling Ends:                                      Friday, 25^th September 2020

Return of Writ on or before:      Friday, 16^th October 2020

Nomination Period:                       7 Days                   16^th July to 23^rd July

Campaign Period:                            8 Weeks               16^th July to 10^th Sept

Polling Period:                                  14 Days                 12^th Sept to 25^th Sept

Counting period:                             21 Days                 26^th Sept to 16^th Oct

The by-election is a result of a petition filed by former Goroka MP, Bire Kimisopa in the court disputed returns, claiming discrepancies during the election process that saw Henry Ame win the seat.

Last year, the Supreme court, ordered the PNG Electoral Commission to conduct a by-election, and today’s issue of writs is a result of this.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the by-election had been delayed from April until now.