How the people of PNG voted

(As at the time of going to press)

A total of 2.7 million votes were cast. Although only an esti mated 1.9 million people were eligible to vote, the higher fi gure comes about because each person gets two votes one for their open electorate and one for their regional electorate.

There are 89 open electo rates and 20 regional electo rates. The open electorates are based on roughly equal num bers of voters per electorate.

The 19 Provinces and the Na tional Capital Dictrict each have one Regional Member. All 109 Members sit in the one parlia ment.

Table B sets out the immedi ate results of the election.

Nothing is more certain than that these numbers will change by the time the Parliament sits.

Even these figures are disputed by the party leaders but they are based on names given to the Electoral Commission or circulated prior to the election.

Forty seven members lost their seats- a turn over of 44 per cent, which is down on the 50 per cent averaged in past elec tions.

Polling has been delayed in three seats (Mendi, Hagen and Kundiawa) because of the deaths of candidates prior to the election. Two of these seats were held by the PDM and one by the PPP but results won’t be known until after the Parlia

mcnt meets in August.

In the 1982 elections PAP had not been formed but its leader, Mr Ted Diro, led a group to the elections known as the Diro Independents Group.

PAP was officially formed as a party early this year.

The Papua Party also was not in existence in 1982 but Papua Besena won three seats.

Two of those Members formed the Papua Party and the third joined Mr Wingti’s PDM.

Although Papua Besena con tested these 1987 elections in its own right, it failed to get any members elected.

The three-fold increase in independents won’t last for long as they allign themselves with the various parties.

Key to party names: PDM - Mr Wingti’s Peoples Democratic Movement; NP - Mr Michael Mel’s National Party; MA - Father Momis’s Melanesian Alliance; PAP - Mr Ted Diro’s Peoples Action Party; PPP - Sir Julius Chan’s Peoples Progress Party; MIG the Morobe Independents Group led by former Morobe Premier, Mr Utula Samana; LNA - the League for National Advancement, whose leader, Mr Tony Siaguru, was defe ated; PP - Papua Party, led by Finance Minister, Galeva Kwar ara; UP - United Party, whose leader, Mr Paul Torato, was defeated

Party

Votes % Of Seats % Of Won Vote Won 1982 Vote

Pangu

398,506 14.7 26 34.0

Rdm

292,081 10.8 18

Rpr

164,461 6.1 5 10.0 MA 150,600 5.6 7 8.6 NR 138,755 5.1 12 10.0

Lna

131,709 4.9 3

Pap*

87,767 3.2 6 6.9 UP 86,988 3.2 1 7.2

Mig

60,922 2.2 4 PP* 34,636 1.3 3 1.6 Other Parties 47,344 1.7 0.8 Independents 1,115,168 41.2 21 20.9

Total

2,708,937 100.0 106 100.0 * See note on other table

Party

1982 Election

Outgoing

Parliament

Sitting

Members Reindorsed 1987 Election

Pangu

51 37 34 26

Rdm

— 20 20 18 NP 13 11 11 12 MA 8 4 2 7

Pap*

7 3 3 6

Ppp

14 13 12 5

Mig

— — — 4

Lna

— 5 5 3 PP* 3 2 2 3 UP 9 7 7 1

Wantok

— 1 1 — Independents 4 6 7 21

Total

709 709 *104 l06 * See note on other table