By DALCY LULUA
The Motu Koita Assembly (MKA) election has officially concluded today, with Russell Simon Wavik declared as the new Chairman of the Motu Koita Assembly.
After days of intense polling and elimination rounds, the winners for all other contested seats had already been confirmed, leaving the Chairman’s race as the final and most closely watched result.
Counting for all 14 wards across Motu-Koita East and Motu-Koita West has been completed, with ward councillors-elect declared. The Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) are finalising the list of ward winners to formally enter their names into the Writs for official declaration.
In the race for the Women’s Representative positions, Gorame Momo emerged victorious for Motu-Koita East after securing an absolute majority of 1,253 votes, surpassing her closest contender Betty Oala, who finished with 931 votes.
In Motu-Koita West, Mere Konio Daera was declared the winner after polling an absolute majority of 1,974 votes during the final exclusion. Her closest rival, Rosemary Hariki, followed closely behind with 1,804 votes.
The final elimination count for the MKA Chairperson saw Beatrice Geua Mahuru excluded after receiving 3,215 votes. Her preferences were distributed as follows:
- Russell Simon Wavik – received 1,254 votes, bringing his total to 6,589
- Dadi Toka Jr – received 735 votes, bringing his total to 5,352
With a total of 14,012 allowable ballot papers and an absolute majority set at 5,970, Russell Simon Wavik surpassed the threshold and was officially declared the winner.
A total of 1,989 votes were distributed in the final round, while 2,075 votes were exhausted.
The total ballot papers counted reached 11,937.
Russell Simon Wavik’s victory marks a significant moment in the leadership of the Motu Koita Assembly, as the communities across Port Moresby look ahead to a new chapter under his chairmanship.