Transcript
Frustrations had been building last week among supporters of various candidates over disruptions to the vote count for Kandep Open.
Although this electorate is in another part of Enga province, the count had been taking place in the provincial capital.
When fighting broke out in Wabag, police mobile squad officers tried to intervene, according to the Highlands Operational Western Divisional Police Commander, Mark Yangen.
"The supporters were clashing and the policemen went there to stop the fight, but then one of the gunmen turned on the police. So, two were dead and as a result, police shot that guy who was with a gun and the other one who was with a pump-action (firearm), but with the pump-action his tribesman took the gun away. But the M-16 was retrieved after the man was dead, the civilian."
The violence has forced another suspension of the count for the Kandep seat, which currently has Alfred Manase of the ruling People's National Congress party leading the sitting MP and opposition leader Don Polye.
Police say the gun fighting has largely been between supporters of these two candidates.
However, a number of Kandep candidates earlier protested that the returning officer Ben Besawe has set aside at least fourteen ballot boxes.
This is despite a directive from the Electoral Commission that the boxes, which were understood to be from Don Polye's support base areas, should be included in the count.
Mr Manase says tribesmen of a disgruntled candidate shot at the returning officer in his vehicle on Saturday morning, prompting an escalation of violence.
"Fortunately the returning officer never even got a single bullet wound, but the car he was in was all riddled with bullets. And his driver got injured, another official got a bullet wound. And then another couple of boys that normally look after the Returning Officer got injured as well. So people have learnt to take up arms to defend themselves in those kind of situations."
A police officer watches over polling in Papua New Guinea's election.
Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
The spectre of violence has haunted past Kandep elections.
A Wabag local and former deputy prime minister Sam Abal says locals were already uneasy about gunmen attached to the two leading Kandep candidates coming into town.
While in government until 2012 he tried to end the cycle of violence in his province.
"Because I realise that these guns and battles and violence and tribal fights are ingrained inside the blood of these Engans, so I said lose the guns and let's get on with development. Let's hold the shovel, let's grow vegetables and things like that."
Mr Abal, who is standing in the Wabag seat, says that in his electorate all boxes were counted, unlike for Kandep.
"Kandep, the count is all Manase's votes, and Don's are still out there, so that causes friction. The Returning Officer which did that, he's probably to be blamed for that. Now Don's people are trying to get the RO to count theirs. And he's kind of being forced not to count them by the Manase faction, and so there's a gun battle."
Meanwhile, the police commissioner Gary Baki was due in Wabag today to assess the situation. It is not impossible that the Kandep election could be cancelled due to the volatility of the situation.