By GEORGINA MICHAEL
THE Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission is facing a major staffing crisis ahead of the 2027 National General Election, with 33 of its 105 established positions currently vacant.
Electoral Commissioner Dr Nicole Haley told the Parliamentary Committee for the 2027 National General Election last Friday that more than a dozen senior officers, including election managers, had reached compulsory retirement age and were in the process of retiring.
“There has been no succession planning within the Electoral Commission over a very long time. The Electoral Commission has an establishment of 105 positions, of which 33 are vacant, plus I have a dozen people who are over compulsory retirement age,” she said.
“They’ve just been on continual contracts because the Electoral Commission hasn’t done a proper establishment review during that time. It clearly needs more positions than it has on its establishment structure,” she added.
Dr Haley said the Commission also had 99 semi-permanent staff engaged as casual employees on short-term contracts at its headquarters and provincial offices.
She explained that the Commission’s establishment structure provided for an election manager and an assistant election manager in each province, with headquarters and 22 provincial offices forming the organisation’s administrative structure.
Each provincial office was also supported by four core staff members responsible for information and communications technology (ICT), public awareness, logistics and administration. These officers were paid as casual employees through the payroll system.
“So really, it’s about an organisation of about 300 people, although the establishment structure only has 105 on it at the moment,” she said.
Dr Haley said several highly experienced officers currently employed on casual contracts could be considered to fill some of the vacancies. However, the positions occupied by officers who had reached compulsory retirement age first needed to be formally vacated before replacements could be appointed.
With only six months remaining before the election, Parliamentary Committee chairman and East Sepik Governor Allan Bird asked how quickly the staffing gaps could be addressed.
“We do need to plug those gaps fairly quickly. But to be able to fill those positions, we actually have to make the current positions vacant because these officers who are past compulsory retirement age are still occupying those positions. So we are working on that,” Dr Haley said.