Marape government confirms after PNG poll

In Papua New Guinea, James Marape is back as prime minister after national elections were marred by allegations of violence and fraud.

Marape was declared prime minister Tuesday afternoon after winning 97 unanimous votes in the post-election parliament.

He heads a coalition of at least 17 parties.

His rival and former prime minister, Peter O’Neill, tried to delay the opening of the elections, which ran from July 4 to 22, as some votes were not finalized.

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However, the Supreme Court injunction was unsuccessful.

Media reports have reported nearly 50 election-related deaths this year, down from 204 deaths recorded in the 2017 poll.

In a statement posted online, Marape said he had memorandums of understanding for coalitions of 17 political parties, with his own Pangu Pati having the most members, followed by the United Resources Party. .

He said his main objectives were to stabilize and grow the economy, implement sustainable debt financing, and deploy government programs for education, health, law and order.

“We don’t waste time.”

Marape first became a PNG leader in May 2019.