Tambul Nebilyer polling deferred due to limited security and logistics

Polling in the Tambul-Nebilyer District of Western Highlands Province has been deferred to Thursday this week due to ongoing security and logistics constraints.

Provincial Election Manager Philip Telape confirmed that the delay was necessary as available security personnel, vehicles, and other resources are still engaged in Dei District.

Polling for the province began yesterday with Dei District, while six wards in Dei are yet to complete polling. Mul-Baiyer District also started polling today.

Mr Telape said Dei’s extended polling schedule has affected the movement of election teams to other districts, resulting in the change of polling dates for Tambul-Nebilyer.

However, he added that Tambul-Nebilyer will poll on Thursday, October 30, and Hagen Central to poll on Friday, October 31.

"Delay of polling caused by Dei because it has six more wards to complete voting while Mul and Baiyer LLG in Mul Baiyer District polled today with Lumusa LLG to poll tomorrow October 29," Telape confirmed.

The election manager said the Electoral Commission has given 14 days to poll; however, the Provincial Election Steering Committee [PESC] has changed to the one-day polling method with many teams dispatched to the 316 wards in the province.

"We have dispersed 355 polling teams with 5 officials in each team for 8 LLGs and another 6 officials to a team dispersed to another 3 LLGs in the province totaling 11 LLGs of Western Highlands", he said.

Telape hopes polling for the other districts in the province will not be deferred, giving special mention to remote parts of the province where a chopper can deliver electoral materials as well as officials and security.