Date Printed: 11/03/2008 JTS Box Number: lFES 9 Tab Number: 22 Document Title: Pre-Election Technical Assessment: Papua New Guinea Document Date: 1999 Document Country: Papua New Guinea lFES ID: R01805 IIIIII~I~ II ~III~ - 4 3 9 0 - A DO NOT REMOVE FROM IFES RESOURCE CENTER! I ItSInternational Foundation for Election Systems I .. 1101 15th S1REET, NW.· 1HlRD A.OOR • WASHINGTON, 0.(20005 • (202) 8288507 ' FAX (202) 452.(8)4 • WMV.m.ORG I PRE-ELECTION TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT I PAPUA NEW GUINEA I FEBRUARY 1999 A Report by tile I Internatiollal Foundation/or Electioll Systems I I I I I I I I I I I BOARD Of DIRECTORS Judy A. Blade lesley Israel William R. Sweeney. Jr. DIRECTORS EMERITI Charles T. Manatt leon J. Weil Barbara Boggs Peter G. Keny Richard W. Soudriette James M. Cannon Peter McPherson Chairman Secretary Dame Eugenia Charles Maureen A. Kindel President (Dominica) Richard M. Scammon Patrida Hutar Joseph Napolitan Jean-Pierre Kingsley Randal C. Teague I Chair T~Bsurer (Ca",daj Via' Judy G. Femald Counsel HONORARY DIRECTOR William J. Hybl Sharol W. Siemens I Mrs. f. Clifton White I .• I International Foundation for Election Systems ,illS 1101 IS· Street, NW· 3" Floor. Washington, D.C. 20005. Tel (202)828-8507. Fax (202)452-0804 I ;, AL ;; I I I INDEPENDENT STATE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA I PRE-ELECTION TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT I February 1999 I Prepared by: I James M Heilman Election Administration Specialist, IFES I Washington, DC, USA I I I I I , This report was made possible by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). I The opinions expressed in this report are solely those of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES). This material is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission; citation is appreciated. I I~ 1 IFES Papua New Guinea Assessment 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Page 1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS 111 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS lV 1 I. INTRODUCTION I 1 A. Scope of Work I 1 B. Methodology I 1 II. BACKGROUND 2 A. Country Background 2 B. Political Background 2 1 C. Elections Background 3 D. Bougainville Background 4 1 1 III. ELECTION SYSTEM OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA 6 A. Organizational Structure of Electoral Commission 6 B. Legal Framework for Elections 8 1 C. Voter Enrolment (Registration) 9 D. Election Official Training 11 E. Voter Education 13 I F. Ballot Access 13 G. Ballot Design Issues 14 H. Election Operation Issues 15 1 I. Counting and Tabulation 18 J. Election Appeals 19 1 K. Electoral Commission Budget Analysis 20 1 IV. BOUGAINVILLE ELECTIONS 21 A. Electoral History 21 I B. Legal Developments Concerning Governrnental Structure and Elections 23 1 I: I [FES Papua New Guinea Assessment I C. Major Issues Facing Proposed Elections 24 I I. Election Timetable and Preparations , 24 2. Command Structure for Elections 25 3. Voter Enrolment (Registration) 26 I 4. Time Period for Elections 27 5. Voter Education 28 6. Recruitrnentffraining of Officials 30 I 7. Absentee Voting 31 8. International Monitoring 32 I 9. Domestic Monitoring 33 10. Communication and Transportation Issues 34 11. Security Issues 35 I 12. Counting and Tabulation 36 I V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 37 A. Papua New Guinea Electoral Issues 37 I Control 37 Uniformity 38 I B. Bougainville Elections 38 I Planning and Control 38 Transparency and Inclusiveness 39 I C. Conclusions 40 I VI. ATTACHMENTS 42 I I I I I II I I IFES Papua New Guinea Assessment " I GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) - The chief election officer for a given electorate in a I province. I BougainviIIe Interim Government (BIG) - A government set up by Bougainville rebel leaders in the early 1990's. I BougainviIIe Reconciliation Government (BRG) - A new government comprising members of all factions in the Bougainville crisis that, with the blessing of the Papua New Guinea Parliament, was scheduled to take administrative and legislative control of the province I on I January, 1999. Plans called for direct elections for this government to be held as soon as feasible. I Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) - The military arm of the Bougainville Interim Government. I Bougainville Transitional Government (BTG) - A government set up in 1995 by pro-Papua New Guinea leaders and recognized (until I January, 1999) as the lawful government by I the Papua New Guinea Parliament. However, it often has been at odds with the national government. I Electorate - A district within a province from which one member of Parliament is elected. Also known as an "open electorate." I Enrolment - The Papua New Guinea term for voter registration. I Interpreter - A member of a polling team. Office of BougainviIIe Affairs - A government department in Port Moresby reporting directly to I the prime minister and responsible for federal administration of Bougainville province. I Presiding Officer (PO) - The chief election official of a polling team. Resistance Force - Paramilitary units initiated to fight against the Bougainville Revolutionary I -Army. Returning Officer (RO) - The chief election official of a province. I Scrutineer - An election observer representing a candidate. I 'Scrutiny - The official counting of ballots and determination of results. I I~ iii IFES Papua New Guinea Assessment I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I Many people contributed time and resources to planning this technical assessment and to making the assessment visit successful and, it is hoped, beneficial. IFES staff members Mary Lou I Schramm, Jessica Hunter, Du Tran, and Deepika Dayal provided valuable guidance, support, and assistance in planning the visit, coordinating with the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission, and reviewing and editing this report. John Norris of USAlD's Office of Transition Initiatives I provided much insightful background information on the Bougainville situation prior to the visit. Ambassador Arma Jean Karaer played a critical role in generating interest in international I assistance to the Electoral Commission. Her Deputy Chief of Mission, Alan Latimer, deserves special praise for helping with logistics, arranging meetings with key players, accompanying the IFES specialist on initial meetings and briefings, and providing him with Embassy staff support. I Andrew Trawen of the Electoral Commission was tremendously helpful in orienting the IFES specialist to Papua New Guinea, arranging his transportation, and facilitating much of the assessment visit work plan. Commissioner Reuben Kaiulo and his management team were I invaluable in providing the information and documents needed to make the assessment successful. Their candid and timely responses to numerous questions and requests are especially appreciated. Bougainville's Mathias Pihei put himself at the disposal of the IFES specialist while I on the island; the Bougainville portion of the visit could not have been nearly so constructive and informative without his assistance. Thanks also go to Dan Steam, who volunteered his time to proofread and provide editorial advice on the draft of this report. I Finally, IFES wishes to thank the US Department of State and US Agency for International I Development for providing the support that has made this project possible. I I I I I I I I iv I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I IFES Papua New Guinea Assessment '. I I. INTRODUCTION I A. Scope of Work The International Foundation for Election Systems' (lFES) Pre-election Technical Assessment was conducted at the invitation of the Electoral Commission of the Independent State of Papua I . New Guinea with funding provided by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAlD). Prior to the beginning of the assessment visit, IFES staff had several communications with the Electoral Commissioner and his Deputy to determine the I parameters of the assessment and of future IFES assistance in Papua New Guinea. A major factor in determining the focus of the visit was the arrival of an electoral assessment team from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAlD), Every attempt was made to I avoid duplication in the efforts of these two assessments. The conclusion of these negotiations produced an IFES analysis that included a general appraisal of the Electoral Commission structure and functions with a special focus on the elections planned for the province of I BougainviIle by July 1999. I The scope of work for the IFES assessment included examination of the following topics: • The role and function of the Electoral Commission as it pertains to election planning for the I province of Bougainville; • The current electoral laws and other codes and regulations as well as laws covering the I various government entities in Bougainville; I • Ballot design, distribution, collection, and security; • Anti-fraud and anti-corruption procedures; I • Role, training, and duties of pollworkers and election officials; I • Mechanics of the election process and procedures at polling places; • Vote counting, certification, and reporting of results, including contest resolution and I appeals procedures; I • InternationaVdomestic observation preparation and acceptance; and • Potential for civic and voter education/information. I B. Methodology IFES fielded an election administration specialist to conduct an onsite assessment of the electoral I processes in Papua New Guinea and BougainviIle province in November-December 1998. The I mission had the following objectives: I~ I IFES Papua New Guinea Assessment I I • Assess voter registration, election administration, and voter education needs; and • Provide recommendations to the PNG government and the donor cornmunity for actions to I take to improve these areas, strengthen the administration of elections, and create a safe and transparent election process, especially in the province of Bougainville. I The IFES consultant reviewed background information on PNG including the constitution and election laws, reports on the 1997 election, the Lincoln Agreement on Bougainville, and a report I by John Norris of USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives, who had recently returned from Papua New Guinea and Bougainville.