Transcript
Five people were killed in election-related violence at the weekend in Mendi, the capital of Southern Highlands province.
Police say they were outnumbered and unable to contain fighting between armed supporters of two leading candidates for the Southern Highlands regional seat, the incumbent William Powi and the independent challenger Joseph Kobol.
Mr Powi has pointed blame at the provincial election manager David Wakias.
He accuses Mr Wakias of defying the orders of PNG's Electoral Commission by proceeding to the vote count while dozens of ballot boxes are still in dispute.
"So the candidates' supporters on the other side and my supporters clashed in Mendi and caused that level of destruction and loss of five lives, which should have been avoided if the Election Manager followed the directions of his boss, the Electoral Commissioner."
The Mendi deaths came two days after a second bout of deadly violence in Wabag.
Here in the capital of Enga province, supporters of losing candidate Don Polye went on a rampage and burnt a village following the result in the Kandep Open seat.
Men from that village retaliated the next day and started a gunfight in which five people were reportedly killed and dozens injured.
The regional police commander Mark Yangen says Wabag is now in lockdown.
"Yes I've got about a hundred defence force troops, plus two mobile (police) squads. And then I've got another fifty prison officers, There's more than about three hundred personnel here so we've got manpower, that's no problem. We're just looking after the government properties in town, that's it. Whatever's happening in the village, well that's it. But really in town it's quiet right now, as we're talking, but it's tense."
Meanwhile, David Arore, a losing candidate with the ruling People's National Congress of Peter O'Neill has denied reports that he tried to kidnap a newly elected MP from another party at Port Moresby's airport.
"Actually the new member for Ijivitari asked me to negotiate and to get him into the People's National Congress party. So I actually brought him from Pondetta, from our home."
But David Arore's unsuccessful wrestle with the new MP at the airport is just one of numerous scandals in a troubled election rife with electoral roll flaws and ballot irregularities.
The Registrar of Political Parties and Candidates Alphonse Gelu says there remains many questions over the conduct of this election.
"To many of us, as commentators, we do see this election as one that has been different to past elections, and one that is marred by bad practices every time. It is an election that is always filled with all these uncertainties, not knowing who the authority is to make decisions, on declarations and on whether to stop counting, all these kind of practices that have happened in this election."
Dr Gelu says the election exposed a lack of adherence to the law all too common among leaders and public officials in PNG.
