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National elections in Papua New Guinea are progressing well despite thousands of people being prevented from voting, electoral commissioner Patilias Gamato says.
Key points:
- Patilias Gamato says polling will be completed on time in most electorates
- Electoral Commission looking to establish "continuous" voter registration process
- Commissioner says election cannot be declared a failure
Just over halfway into the two-week polling period, thousands of voters are crying foul after being told their names were not on the electoral roll.
Others have been prevented from voting because of a lack of ballot papers at some polling booths.
Despite the problems, electoral commissioner Patilias Gamato said voting was "progressing well" and polling would be completed on time in most electorates.
But he acknowledged widespread criticism, both in the mainstream media and in PNG's small but vocal social media community, of the state of the electoral roll.
"I welcome this scrutiny as it is part of the democratic process," he said.
"However, it is important in the interests of the entire country that all stakeholders and individuals remember they too have a responsibility."
In response to the criticism, Mr Gamato announced a number of initiatives would be undertaken after the election, if government funding was forthcoming.
He said a taskforce would be set up to conduct a "forensic assessment" of the electoral roll.
The Electoral Commission would look at establishing an "active, continuous" voter registration process instead of the current practice of updating the electoral roll two years before an election.
A new "civic education campaign" would also educate people about the enrolment process.
Not failed ... yet
Some of the criticism directed towards the Mr Gamato and the Electoral Commission has called for the elections to be declared a failure.
But Mr Gamato said the thresholds for declaring a failed election had not been reached.
For that to occur he said there would have to be reports of "gross" violence, and a majority of people prevented from voting.
"Up to now I have not seen any reports of gross violence ... and more than 50 per cent of people have cast their votes," he said.
Former New Zealand governor-general Sir Anand Satyanand, who is leading the 12-member Commonwealth Observer Group sent to monitoring the election, also said it was too early to call the election a failed one.
"Election officials ... have got a week to put measures in a better place than they are at the moment," he told the ABC's Pacific Beat program on Monday.
"I would not responsibly use the word 'failed'."
Topics: elections, government-and-politics, world-politics, papua-new-guinea, pacific