Papua New Guinea's Minister of Intergovernment Relations says Southern Highlanders are calling on the government to postpone January's supplementary elections until late next year.
Sir Peter Barter says Southern Highlanders are concerned that the province will not be ready for the supplementary elections and that violence will erupt as a result of it.
The PNG government scheduled fresh elections after problem forced the count in six electorates in the country's general elections in July to be abandoned.
Sir Peter says during the last three months work has gone into restoring stability and provincial services after they were destroyed by ongoing tribal clashes and election related violence.
He says highlanders are worried that elections in January will unravel the province's fragile stability.
"The people in the southern highlands would prefer the elections be put back to next year or even later. They're very satisfied with the progress that we are making we'd rather not see an election go ahead until such time as that the whole process has been in place, stabilized and people beginning to receive the services they require however there is another important aspect that under the constitution people must have elected members."
Sir Peter Barter in PNG
