16 Apr 2012

PNG lawyer who's worked with Electoral Commission confident about rolls

7:34 pm on 16 April 2012

A former lawyer for Papua New Guinea's Electoral Commission says the electoral rolls for the Highlands provinces will be satisfactory for this year's general elections.

Professor John Nonggorr's comment comes after the public outcry following the controversial parliamentary motion earlier this month to defer national elections this year by six months.

Parliamentarians appear to have now accepted that elections will go ahead as originally scheduled in late June however some MPs warn that incomplete electoral rolls could mean a failed election.

Professor Nonggorr says that having been involved with previous election processes, he knows that changes to the law have improved the state of the roll.

"The results are now bearing fruit, meaning it's not perfect but now the roll in 2012 is much much better. There will be more people captured. There will be more duplications and stuff - people taken out."

Professor John Nonggorr