WITH the dates set for the 2022 National General Elections and with the Prime Minister confirming that elections will go forward as planned, there are still concerns surrounding the transparency of the so called free and fair election.
Speaking during grievances debate in Parliament on Friday, August 13, the recently court declared member elect for Kandep Open, Don Polye shared his experiences of what he claimed to be a ripped 2017 elections.
Polye was recently sworn in as the rightful Member for Kandep after a four year court battle challenging the declaration of the then Member for Kandep Alfred Manase as the winner in 2017 National General Election.
Polye asked Parliament to address the issues that are affecting the election process and the people that are part of the process including the stewardship and the conductor in the national election.
He described the Electoral Commission as having a serious lack of competency at the electoral level which triggers down to provinces and down to the electorates and the LLGs.
Polye made the statements in relation to the Kandep election in 2017 which he said was one of the failure and incompetency of the Electoral Commission that failed to follow the due process in the appointment of Returning Officers as well as officers assisting in the whole election process.
“I found the system would be correct, but it is the individuals who are appointed to this position with interest of certain politicians that compromise the system.
“I have experienced that there were people in the system that are compromisers and we cannot go to the election with these sorts of issues still remaining,” Polye said.
He added that such issues occurred because there are some officials who claimed to have owned the system and can rigged the election anytime they want to.
“The Kandep case was the example of the rigged election with three Supreme Courts, seven National Courts, a four-year ongoing battle until the Court allowed for the recount which declared the rightful MP elect,” Polye said.
He also urged that the Government should use the old system of voting rather than current LPV system.