Counting of votes begins today in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville after two weeks of voting was completed at the weekend.
Three counting centres have been established - at Hutjena High School near Buka where the northern regional seat and constituency seats will be counted; Sharp Memorial Centre in Arawa for the central seats and the United Church in Buin for the southern seats.
Counting for the presidential seat will be at Hutjena.
Bougainvilleans await their election results Photo: AFP
The Electoral Commission says Bougainville's limited preferential voting system is complex and time consuming
It involves the exclusion of those candidates with the lowest number of first preferences and then their subsequent preferences being allocated to candidates who are still in the running.
This process continues until one candidate has an absolute majority - that is 50 percent plus one vote.
The Commission is required to return the election writs by June the 6th.
