Political career of PNG's Mining Minister likely to end today

The political career of one of the youngest members of Papua New Guinea parliament and mining minister Byron James Chan is about to end today.

National Alliance Party president Walter Schnaubelt is four ballot boxes away from being declared winner of the Namatani seat in New Ireland province. Schnaubelt has polled 15,843 votes after 19 of the 24 boxes had been counted, and needs more than 2000 votes for the 50+1 allowable votes in order to be declared.

Byron Chan’s father and New Ireland Governor, Sir Julius Chan, is also struggling in second place in the regional seat, and People’s Progress Party leader Ben Micah is in the same boat in the Kavieng open.

Counting is slow in New Ireland so Schnaubelt’s inevitable victory may not be declared until later today to end the brief political career of the mining minister.

Elsewhere, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is a sitting Members who will be re-elected and an announcement is likely sometime today in his Ialibu- Pangia electorate.

O’Neill has polled 25,377 votes so far and will need a total of 33,400+1 allowable votes to be declared re-elected on the first count.

That’s excluding the informal votes/ballot papers. Counting was proceeding last night on 58 boxes out of 114 so O’Neill needs about 8000 votes to be declared.

By week’s end there should be two more declarations – in the Highlands region and New Guinea Islands – as counting for 102 of the 111 seats start while nine seats are still counting. The last 18 polling stations are due to close today after throughout Papua New Guinea as the National Election winds down.

Two seats have been declared, retained by the ruling People’s National Congress Party members James Marape in Tari-Pori, Hela Province, and Justin Tkatchenko for Moresby South Wednesday.

People’s National Congress Party has candidates in the top three throughout the country in progressive tallies. National Alliance Party and Pangu Party are also doing well, especially in the Momase region while independents have made an impact.

THE Party has started on a slow mode as counting continues in 17 provinces.


SOURCE: POST COURIER/PACNEWS

Note: Check the latest election results on the right sidebar : Choose the Province on the drop down menu to view the progressive election results