No Jumping Png Election Gun

. The a y es for Mr Somare’s election mo t'oll were 45 and the noes were 40.

Although this was a numerical victory, it was constitutionally insufficient to force an election ahead of schedule, Mr Somare be ing seven votes short of the 52 half the total membership which were needed to make the motion effective.

Ironically, the defeat of the motion came only two hours after the Supreme Court handed down a decision removing a possible mechanical hurdle to an early election. There had been fears that even if parliament passed Mr Somare’s motion,

the constitutional need for an electoral boundaries review would have prevented an early election.

However, the full bench of five Supreme Court judges ruled, from an examination of the constitution, that such a review would not have been essential.

Parliamentary refusal to go to the polls early marked the end of one of the noisiest and most confused debates to occupy the members. At one stage, Mr Somare was uncertain of the support of his own party, so unpopular was his move, but when the issue came to the vote the government sup port was there. The debate was spread in

termittently over 12 days with frequent

delays over points of order, procedural in terpretations and confused attitudes.

Mr Somare’s official reasons for wan ting an early election were the climate of the voters and the fact that parliament is already on an extended term of office.

Unofficially, he is believed to consider his chances of re-election, after leading PNG to independence, would have been better this year than next.