By RNZ Pacific
A Papua New Guinea opposition MP has filed a criminal complaint against the Electoral Commissioner for alleged misdeeds in last year’s general election.
Madang Open’s Bryan Kramer yesterday filed a formal complaint about Commissioner Patilias Gamato with the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate.
Kramer’s complaint focuses on the election in the provincial seat of Southern Highlands.
He said Gamato’s premature declaration of a result was an act of electoral fraud that must not be allowed to be “swept under the carpet”.
One of the most controversial results in an election hampered with irregularities, it sparked deadly violence among supporters of rival candidates in the province.
Tensions have lingered, and a court ruling in June which upheld Southern Highlands provincial governor William Powi’s election triggered a rampage by protesters who torched an airplane, courthouse and the governor’s residence.
Kramer has filed a similar complaint with the Ombudsman Commission.
This article is republished under the Pacific Media Centre’s content partnership with Radio New Zealand.
