Polling started today after a week’s suspension

Polling for the Usino/ Bundi by-election in Madang Province managed to kick- off today after being deferred for a week.

However, only one of the 23 polling teams was able to successfully conduct polling at Ward 22 of Bundi Local Level Government.

The voting population in
Ward 22 is between two and three thousand.

Two polling teams for Gama and the other two for Bundi were successfully inserted into their various polling locations by helicopter today.

Two more teams each for these two LLGs will be inserted tomorrow morning.

Returning Officer for the Usino/ Bundi by-election, Terence Baiyo said polling in Ward 1 of Usino LLG, which is the Ramu Sugar Township, was also pushed back to tomorrow at the request of voters.

They said polling teams arrived late at the station.

The voting population in Ward 1 is about five thousand.

Baiyo said more teams are expected to start polling tomorrow.

He reported no major problems today except for the delay to polling at Ramu Sugar.

Meanwhile, a storage container for the ballot papers is yet to be moved to the Walium Police Station from the Walium Health Centre, just across the road.

Returning Officer Baiyo said they need a side- lift to move the container from the health centre to the police station.

Meanwhile, for the used ballot papers from Ward 22 of Bundi LLG, Baiyo said they will have to hear from the scrutineers who represent their candidates.

Candidates agreed yesterday that all ballot papers must be stored and locked away in a container.