39 Pre-Poll Ballots from Honiara Overlooked in Isabel Count; Election Results Remain Unchanged

By Simon Tavake

Thirty-nine pre-poll ballot papers from three constituencies in Isabel Province were not counted during the election counting process.

Chief Electoral Officer and Commissioner Jasper Highwood Anisi confirmed in a press conference today.

The affected constituencies are Gao/Bugotu, Hograno/Kia/Havulei, and Maringe/Kokota.

Mr. Anisi clarified that these pre-poll ballot papers were those cast by voters in Honiara.

The breakdown of the uncounted pre-poll ballot papers forwarded from Honiara for each constituency is as follows: Gao/Bugotu 13, Hograno/Kia/Havulei 15, and Maringe/Kokota 11.

Anisi explained that Pre-poll ballot papers cast in the Honiara station for these three constituencies in Isabel were hand-delivered to election officials in Isabel.

They were supposed to be verified and allocated to a batch before starting the verification of the election day ballot papers and counting.

“However, during the verification process, officials only checked the pre-poll papers from the Buala station and did not include those from Honiara,” said CEO Anisi.

He further stated that these uncounted pre-poll ballot papers were unfortunately not counted, and the respective Returning Officers had already declared the winners.

Anisi elaborated on the issue, mentioning that under section 106 of the Electoral Act, returning officers cannot revise their decisions after notifying the Commission of the full result.

He said the only authority with the power to review such decisions is the High Court of Solomon Islands.

The margins between the declared winners and the closest candidates, considering the uncounted ballots, are as follows: Gao/Bugotu 13, Hograno/Kia/Havulei 2113, and Maringe/Kokota 106.

SIBC news understands, the final result remains unchanged as these additional numbers do not favour the runners-up.

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