With Papua New Guinea's 2027 National General Election drawing closer, concerns over election security, violence and the credibility of the electoral process are once again taking centre stage.
This week on the Yu Stori episode produced by PNG Hausbung, we asked a simple but important question: Can authorities guarantee a safe and secure 2027 election?
Many listeners said increasing police recruitment would help improve security, while others called for stronger deployment of all three Joint Security Forces, the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC), Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) and Correctional Service (CS), at polling stations across the country to maintain peace, security and neutrality throughout the election period while some stressed that the government should make it known to the general public that everyone understands Civil education as it is essential to the national elections.
The discussion highlighted one common expectation from the public that authorities must be better prepared than they were in previous elections.
As part of the discussion, we also heard from Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Commissioner David Manning, who reaffirmed that providing a safe and secure environment for elections remains the Constabulary's core responsibility.
Speaking during the 2027 RPNGC National General Election planning meeting, Commissioner Manning said election security was not a new responsibility for the police but acknowledged that preparations for 2027 would be more demanding than previous elections.
He said Papua New Guinea's growing population, increased number of electorates and greater logistical challenges would require stronger planning and leadership.
"Our policy is to provide an environment that is safe and secure to conduct elections. It is our responsibility to allow an opportunity or enable people to exercise their rights to cast their votes."
Commissioner Manning reminded police officers that the role of the Constabulary is to remain neutral throughout the election process.
"It is not for us to determine outcomes. It is not for us to determine how elections should be conducted. Ours is a neutral and enabling partnership with the Electoral Commission."
Reflecting on lessons from the 2022 National General Election, Commissioner Manning said police must openly examine previous challenges and strengthen coordination with the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission to avoid repeating past mistakes.
He also warned that election operations would place significant pressure on police resources, including personnel, logistics and funding, adding that accountability and strong leadership would be critical throughout the election period.
"One bad decision by one of you in this room can have catastrophic results."
The discussion then turned to an international perspective.
Speaking following the Joint Election Security Workshop, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Senior Country Director Michael Yard said Papua New Guinea's election security challenges reflect a growing global trend where political leaders refuse to accept election results, often contributing to unrest and violence.
Drawing on his experience supporting elections in more than 50 countries, Mr. Yard said peaceful elections depend not only on good planning, but also on political leaders accepting legitimate election outcomes.
"Unfortunately, over the last decade or longer, I've seen a trend towards politicians never accepting the outcome of an election."
Mr. Yard said another major challenge is funding.
While acknowledging the importance of planning between the Electoral Commission and security agencies, he said those plans cannot succeed without adequate financial support.
"Funding for both institutions is absolutely critical. No matter how much planning the institutions undertake, if they don't have the funding to implement those plans, then it's impossible to provide adequate electoral security."
He noted that during the recent Local Level Government elections, both the police and the Electoral Commission experienced operational challenges because of limited funding and resources.
The three-day Joint Election Security Workshop brought together senior officers from the RPNGC and PNGEC under IFES' Enabling a Peaceful Environment to Administer Credible Elections (E-PEACE) program to strengthen security coordination ahead of the 2027 National General Election.
As this week's discussion showed, delivering a peaceful election is not solely the responsibility of police, election officials or the Government.
Authorities have a duty to provide security, maintain neutrality, and ensure the electoral process is conducted fairly. However, political leaders, candidates, supporters, and voters also have an important role to play by respecting the democratic process and accepting legitimate election outcomes.
A safe and credible election cannot be achieved through security operations alone. It requires adequate planning, enough funding, strong leadership, responsible political conduct and the cooperation of every Papua New Guinean.
As the country moves closer to 2027, one message remains clear: the integrity of the election will depend not only on the institutions that manage it, but also on the choices made by every citizen.
