PNG: Election result due by Monday
Updated
The results of the Papua New Guinea election should be announced by Monday. With only a handful of results still to be announced, the current prime minister, Sir Michael Somare, is confident his National Alliance Party will return to power, in coalition with a number of other parties.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speakers: Firman Nanol, PNG correspondent; Sir Michael Somare, PNG Prime Minister
NANOL: The final election results according to the Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen should be made known by no later than this Friday or at the weekend, Saturday at the most, because by Sunday he has to advise or by Monday he's to advise the Governor General of which party has taken the highest seats to be invited to form the next coalition government. So the deadline is next Monday, 30th of July but the Electoral Commissioner wanted a speedy counting of seats, the remaining seats about 70 or so throughout the country to be declared within the next five days. But the progress of counting is slowing, about 36 seats declared so far with about four more to go which is about 40 by tonight or early tomorrow morning. So I think the Electoral Commissioner's time is within his own expectations and beliefs and his own comments that he's going to deliver the results before or on the 30th of July.
HILL: Now do we have any idea of who is likely to get the nod to form the next government? It was looking as though Sir Michael Somare and his party seemed to have the edge on the others. Is that still the case with more seats declared?
NANOL: Bruce well in PNG politics it's anything can happen but the way counting is going and the results that have been declared so far indicate Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare's ruling National Alliance Party is set to surge, it's surging ahead. After the declaration of this time ... Somare's party, they've taken the seats up to nine so far now. National Alliance has got nine members declared so far out of the 36 that have been declared. Other smaller parties like PDM, People's Progress Party, the People's Democratic Movement, obviously ... People's National Congress Party and Pangku Party including former president Bart Philemon's the man who's been credited for turning the economy around of the nation, he's got about three members, so they've got two and three members each so far. But with the counting going on there's some National Alliance candidates, more than ten who are leading the count with the final elimination processes nearing towards the end by now and by tomorrow, and within this week looks like NA is set to return almost or at least 20-plus seats.
HILL: So how confident is Sir Michael that he will in fact be the next prime minister of Papua New Guinea?
NANOL: He is very confident, he has of course some alliances and understanding with three other political parties who are going to form the next government.
SOMARE: The chances of us forming the next government is inevitable. I've got a relationship with the PAP, which we established an understanding, ... understanding with PNC we have an understanding. Some of the political parties we find out after the election. I have some understanding with some of the leaders, so eventually as the results come out and .... it happens, you'll find that we are emerging as a leader, a group in parliament. It's going to happen despite indications of the polls and so in that way, so I'm sitting very patiently watching the waters, seeing the breaking of the seas and see how things go.
HILL: Well that was Sir Michael Somare sounding pretty confident there. What about the conduct of the elections as a whole? Are people pleased with the way that voting happened and the way that vote counting has proceeded?
NANOL: People have expressed their satisfaction and even the security. Electoral commission Andrew Trawen has so far very happy with the way counting is going, election has been conducted ... is quite happy and with the declarations being made people are quite happy and going on with their normal activities.
