Papua New Guinea's electoral integrity under scrutiny ahead of 2027 polls

RNZ News

10 hours ago

Papua New Guinea will hold its National General Election in 2027.
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A new report from Papua New Guinea's National Research Institute (NRI) has called for immediate reforms of electoral boundaries before the 2027 National General Election after identifying significant breaches of law.
The central concerns are three glaring breaches of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Government Elections (OLPLLGE): inaccurate provisional number of electorates, flawed determination of the size of electorates, and overlapping maps of some electorates.
The NRI says the integrity of Papua New Guinea's electoral process is at stake as it specifically pointed to the 2021 electoral boundaries review. This review controversially used a provisional number of 96 electorates.
This figure, the NRI argues, is a direct violation of the Organic Law on National and Local-level Government Elections (OLNLLGE), PNG's foundational electoral legislation. The OLNLLGE clearly mandates a minimum of 110 and a maximum of 120 electorates.
The NRI asserts that this breach of a fundamental legal requirement significantly undermines the integrity of PNG's entire electoral system.
"The current electoral boundaries and the review that was done in 2021 is outdated as population has changed over the last 13 years," NRI researcher and author of the report Wilson Kumne said.
"The new electorates to be implemented in 2027 should consider the changes in the population of the electorates over the 13 years."
The NRI report points to the fact that any change in the electoral boundaries hinges on data from 2024 National Census which is yet to be published.
But looking at the data from 2021 is already an indication of the challenges Papua New Guinea faces as a country.
PNG's population grew from approximately 7.3 million in 2011 to an estimated 11.8 million by 2021.
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PNG's population grew from approximately 7.3 million in 2011 to an estimated 11.8 million by 2021.
This significant demographic shift, represents a more 62 per cent increase in a decade, means current boundaries are out of sync with present-day realities.
Adding to the complexity are issues with the physical demarcation of electorates.
The OLNLLGE strictly prohibits open electorate boundaries from cutting across provincial boundaries. Yet, the report highlights examples, some in very remote locations, where electoral boundaries straddle multiple provincial boundaries creating administrative difficulties.
Delaying any work on this reform could result in another chaotic election in 2027.