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News > World

Papua New Guinea Vote Amid PM Facing Corruption Warrant

  • It is estimated that voting will last two weeks and a final result is not expected until late July.

    It is estimated that voting will last two weeks and a final result is not expected until late July. | Photo: Reuters

Published 26 June 2017
Opinion

A record number of women are standing in the election and no party has ever won a majority, so a coalition government is expected.

Papua New Guinea polls opened on Saturday and will close July 8, because many voters have to navigate treacherous terrain to cast their ballot.

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Since independence in 1975, there has been an average turnover rate of 50 percent of Papua New Guinea Member of Parliaments. Sans opinion polling in the country, the vast majority of electorates – which are in the rural areas – dictate the election result.

The election is being held amid Prime Minister Peter O’Neill facing an arrest warrant for corruption. He has vehemently denied all the allegations and, in recent months, weathered calls from protests and civil disobedience for his resignation.

“I am not above the law. I am quite happy to go to courts like anyone else, and I have proven time and time again that those allegations are not true and have been politically motivated in many cases. The ballot will speak for itself. So all the thing that we have listed down, we have achieved well over 90 percent of it. For any government that is a high achievement. This has never been done before,” said O’Neill.

He also survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote last year.

Over 3,300 candidates including 165 women are contesting the polls. The candidates represent 44 political parties in total. No party has ever won a majority, so a coalition government is expected.

Though a record number of women are standing in the election, only seven have been elected to Papua New Guinea's parliament since its independence 42 years ago. There have only been three women MPs.

Opponents of the prime minister have accused him of causing an economic collapse, prompting falling global commodity prices for the country's natural resources.

Mineral deposits, including copper, gold, and oil, make up almost two-thirds of Papua New Guinea’s export earnings. There are also huge reserves of natural gas, but the exploitation of these resources has been hindered by rugged terrain and land rights issues. Villagers often complain that they have yet to receive royalty payments from large resource projects.

According to Lowy Institute Melanesia Program research fellow Jonathan Pryke, the biggest issues facing the winner will be turning around a tanking economy, barrelling budget deficit and fixing the inflated exchange rate that is suffocating the private sector.

Papua New Guinea is a South Pacific nation with a population of almost seven million that is located to the north of Australia. Five of the seven million are expected to vote to elect members of Papua New Guinea’s 111-seat parliament.

Australia is Papua New Guinea’s largest aid donor and has been working with its authorities to ensure an incident-free election.

Over 10,000 police and other personnel have been deployed to maintain security.

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