Papua New Guinea (PNG) is pursuing opportunities with India for collaboration and support to strengthen and reform the electoral system, Administrative Services Minister, Richard Masere says.
Masere is the minister spearheading the National Census which is underway.
Minister Masere said in a statement that: The ongoing discussions are focused on areas such as electoral reforms, technology implementation, and capacity-building for PNG’s Electoral Commission in preparation for the 2027 General Elections.”
“Yesterday, the Electoral Commissioner, Simon Sinai and I had a productive meeting with the Acting High Commissioner of India to PNG.
“We discussed the path forward for formalizing cooperation between our two governments through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),” Minister Masere stated.
He added that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would also involve a partnership between the Electoral Commission of PNG and the Electoral Commission of India.
“I lead a PNG government delegation, including representatives from the Electoral Commission, visited India and participated in India’s Election Visitors Programmer during their 2024 national elections,” Minister Masere said.
This programmer, he said, allowed him and his team to gain valuable insights into India’s robust electoral management systems, including the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and bio-metric technology for voter enrollment and verification.
These learnings, he said, are vital as PNG explores new technologies to modernize its electoral processes and ensure transparency and accuracy.
During the visit: “we also met with the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), where discussions centered on how their training and development programmers could assist PNG Electoral Commission personnel.”
These programmers, with a strong emphasis on practical election management skills, offer the potential to significantly enhance the capacity of our electoral staff in administering elections.
Further meetings were held with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to understand the implementation of India’s Aadhaar card—a national ID system that uses bio-metric technology, said Minister Masere.
These discussions provided critical insights into how PNG could potentially apply similar technology in its own National Identification (NID) card system, which could improve future voter enrollment and validation processes.
In addition to these engagements, “We also held meetings with the Indo-Pacific Chamber of Commerce. One of the highlights was a day-long workshop that brought together various biometric technology suppliers.”
This workshop, he said, allowed them to explore cutting-edge technology solutions that could be adapted to PNG’s electoral needs.
“As we move forward, the PNG Government is committed to learning from these international best practices. Our focus is on exploring bio-metric technology and Electronic Voting Machines as part of a broader electoral reform strategy.
“The potential inclusion of such technologies in PNG’s NID card process could enhance the integrity of our voter enrollment and verification processes in future elections.”
The Ministry, through the PNG Electoral Commission, is planning to commission a feasibility study on strengthening PNG’s electoral systems, he said.
This study will be essential in determining how these technologies can be integrated into PNG’s unique electoral context.
Meanwhile, “we are also working closely with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) for technical assistance on various reform matters, ensuring we adopt global best practices.”
Furthermore: “The 2022 Election Report presented to Parliament, which highlights key outcomes and recommendations, will serve as the foundation for these ongoing discussions and reforms.”
Therefore, as we continue these efforts, “our goal is to ensure that the electoral process in PNG is both transparent and credible, and that it reflects the democratic values of our nation.”
“However, we look forward to further cooperation with the Government of India and other international partners in this endeavor,” said Minister Masere.