NATIONAL COURT ORDERS RE-COUNT FOR MADANG OPEN
By BRYAN KRAMMER The National Court in Madang yesterday (6/8/14) ordered a recount of the Madang Open By-Election. The Court upheld Petitioner Peter Yama's election petition disputing the election of Minister of Petroleum and Member for Madang Nixon Duban. Yama disputed the Duban's election on several grounds of errors and omissions (irregularities) by PNG Electoral Commission in conducting the polling and counting of the By-Election. The Trial Judge Sakora sustained the following grounds contested in Yama's petition. 1) Lack of security during polling - the By-Election was conducted without police presence. 2) Two ballot-boxes were destroyed outside the police station. 3) The Returning officer and his Assistant Returning Officer defied written instructions by the Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen not to participate in the counting after the preliminary count. 4) Returning Officer refusal to include 6,116 ballot-papers discovered by Yama at his mother'