(Port Moresby) Papua New Guinea’s premier party was asked to form a new government on Monday after winning more seats than its rivals in a violent national election.
Posted at 12:20 a.m.
Prime Minister James Marape’s party has won 36 out of 111 seats in parliament so far and will need allies to form a coalition.
Voting ended on Friday, but the count is still on for some seats in the resource-rich but widespread poverty-stricken country.
Governor-General Bob Dadae, who represents Queen Elizabeth II, invited Marape’s Pangu Pati to form government in an official ceremony, saying it had won more seats than any other party so far.
About 10,000 members of the police, military and correctional services were mobilized for the vote.
On July 26, a gang armed with machetes injured two people in a politically motivated attack.
Commonwealth election monitors condemned the violence in a report, calling for an “urgent review” of the voting process and citing missing names on the voters list and multiple allegations of corruption.
Parliament is due to sit on Tuesday for the first time since the start of these extended elections on July 4.