Community leaders from some wards within the Anglimp and Kuna Komun Local Level Governments (LLGs) of Jiwaka Province are calling on the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission (PNGEC) to proceed with the conduct of their delayed elections.
This appeal follows an extension for elections for some LLGs, sought by the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs Soroi Eoe.
In their recent appeal, Councilors and community representatives Peter Saina, Kerewa Mekenti, and Joe Win emphasize the critical importance of upholding citizens’ constitutional rights to participate in democratic processes without further delays.
Their appeal comes after Minister Soroi Eoe’s letter, which requested an extension of the election period for certain LLGs due to exceptional circumstances.
The Minister had cited Sections 277(2)(b) and 288(2) of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local-level Governments, which allow PNGEC to grant extensions under specific conditions.
Minister Eoe acknowledged that while many LLGs across the country have successfully conducted their elections, some experienced delays caused by various issues and required additional time to complete the process.
In his letter the minister expected all elections to be completed successfully and requested a comprehensive status report by November 21, 2025.
Following this letter, community leaders Peter Saina, Kerewa Mekenti Joe Win and others have urged PNGEC and Jiwaka’s election officials to proceed with the elections without further delay.
They clarified that the initial postponements were due to confusion surrounding the creation of new wards.
However, they confirmed that the new wards for Anglim and Kuna Komun LLGs were created through proper legal procedures, with all required processes followed and no court orders prevented voting to proceed.
The creation of the new LLGs—Anglimp, Kuna Komun, and Kambia—was approved by the Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs Office to facilitate the upcoming split of Anglim South Waghi into two separate electorates in 2027.
While elections for Kambia LLG have already progressed with declarations made, the elections for Anglimp and Kuna Komun remain pending.
The PNGEC had suspended elections for Anglimp and Kuna Komun, citing issues including protests by different factions against the creation of new wards and other security issues.
The PNG Electoral Commissioner is expected to make a final decision on the elections for the two LLGs soon.
Leave a Reply