The destruction of the ballot papers printed for the former electorates that were later split into new ones, started on Sunday 03rd July with the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Electoral Commissioner shredding the ballot papers for the old Komo- Magarima electorate in Hela province. Commissioner Simon Sinai confirmed that over 648, 400 ballot papers for the seven former electorates will be eventually destroyed. “All these ballot papers cannot be used in the new electorates in this election as they will be considered invalid. The ballot papers that we are going to destroy belonged to the former electorates.” The former electorates are Komo- Magarima in Hela province, Lagaip- Porgera in Enga province, Bulolo in Morobe province, Kairuku- Hiri in Central province, Middle Fly in Western province, Ijivitari in Oro province and Talasia in West New Britain province. For Kairuku- Hiri a total of 101, 878 ballot papers will be destroyed, Lagaip- Porgera 194, 600 to be destroyed, Middle Fly 44, 100 to be destroyed, Talasia 88, 500 to be destroyed, Ijivitari 48, 600 to be destroyed, and some 11, 000 papers from Sohe will be destroyed as well because some Local Level Governments (LLG) there come in to make up Popondetta Urban. The Commissioner continued to say that 47, 400 ballot papers from Bulolo will be destroyed, 106, 450 from Komo- Magarima will destroyed as well along with 6, 400 from Kandep in Enga. He further explained that these papers are from the sixteen Council Wards restored to Kandep as ordered by the court. “All of these ballot papers cannot be used in any of the electorates, the old electorates and the new electorates have been split.” “When we split the electorate, it splits an LLG, and it splits the Council Wards. So, when we distribute them, they become separate grouping. We shift the council ward to the other side and to where it’s required by its qualification,” he explained. Commissioner Sinai further explained that these ballot papers were printed by Australia and sent to PNG before parliament accepted the Electoral Boundaries Commission reported that lead to the creation of the new 14 electorates. Meanwhile, the new electorates are Komo- Hulia and Magarima in Hela province, Lagaip and Porgera- Paiala in Enga, Bulolo and Wau- Waria in Morobe, Kairuku and Hiri- Koiari in Central province, Delta Fly and Middle Fly in Western province, Ijivitari and Popondetta Urban in Oro province and Talasia and Nakanai electorates in the West New Britain province.