Papua New Guinea’s People’s National Congress is shaping up as the party to watch as the country’s general election approaches.

Nominations are set to finish later today with campaigning then in earnest through to early July when voting starts.

The Peoples’ National Congress (PNC) is led by Peter O’Neill who lost the prime ministership to James Marape in 2019.

The party, of which Marape was also once a member, had dominated PNG politics for the previous eight years.

RNZ Pacific’s PNG correspondent Scott Waide said the PNC had endorsed more than 90 candidates which has created a force to reckon with.

“Ninety candidates all over the country means that there is a higher possibility of PNC banking on its chances to get the members into parliament,” he said.

“PANGU has also put out a list of candidates. Surprisingly a lot of women in the PANGU group – at least five I think.”

Waide said the party of the late deputy prime minister, Sam Basil, the United Labour Party (ULP) is also shaping up to do well in this poll.

The PNG Parliament is larger than before, with the addition of seven new seats taking it to 118 members.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.