By DALCY LULUA
THE Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs, Soroi Eoe, has announced that the cabinet has approved two voting methods for the upcoming Local Level Government (LLG) elections.
“One method involves electing presidents directly by the people, while the second method allows presidents to be elected by ward members in the chamber,” Minister Eoe explained.
He clarified that these two methods are not new and have been used in the past.
“Over the years, we have seen both the advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Presidents have been elected by the people, and we have also had presidents elected by ward members,” he said.
Based on these experiences, Minister Eoe stated that it is now up to the provincial governments to decide which method they will use.
“Provinces will choose their preferred method and report back to the government and cabinet,” he said.
He further noted that all Highlands Provinces (Hela, Enga, Southern Highlands, Western Highlands, Jiwaka, Simbu, and Eastern Highlands), along with Morobe, have opted for presidents to be elected by ward members in the chambers.
In contrast, the coastal provinces of Papua New Guinea have chosen to elect presidents directly by the people.
“These decisions have been made by the provinces and endorsed by the cabinet. Provinces have already been informed of which method they will use for the upcoming election.
It is important to note that each method involves its own costs,” Minister Eoe added.
Meanwhile, the Government has allocated K160 million for the LLG elections but has so far released only K20 million.
