CANDIDATES contesting the Kagua – Erave open seat in Southern Highlands have urged the electoral commission to allow all the 44 boxes disputed boxes to be counted instead of allowing only 28 (boxes) and setting aside 16.   Spokesperson and PNG National Party candidate Markus Kamali said that instruction from the electoral commission was to set aside all the 44 boxes last week but they went ahead to count them.   He said of the 44, they counted 28 and set aside 16 which was not fair. Provincial election manager Alwin Jimmy said 44 ballot boxes were counted and instructions from the electoral commissioner Simon Sinai not to count them on Monday afternoon was received late.   Those 44 boxes were allegedly hijacked and complaints were raised by assistant returning officer (ARO), candidates and voters to Sinai claiming that certain candidates hijacked the boxes and should not be counted.   Jimmy said boxes have been counted and cannot reverse it. The boxes are from these four local level government (LLG’s) Aiya, Erave, Kagua rural and Kuare.   Sinai, in a letter to returning officer (RO) Albert Wens Heleve, accused him of failing to communicate with him on issues raised and he has treated letters from the AROs, candidates and voters as objections made under Section 153A of the organic law. He said his decision on the objection of the 44 ballot boxes not to be admitted into scrutiny was for the following reason: Section 153A of the Organic Law required an objection to be made to the RO and no other person. The objection was initially addressed to the RO but he did not communicate it to his office. Kamali said since the 28 boxes have proceed to counting the remaining 16 boxes must also be counted as well.   He said this is not a fair decision to lock away 16 boxes and count 28 because there are part of 44 disputed boxes.   “This is unfair for all the candidates because the fault was made by the agent of the electoral commission to count these boxes despite the instruction from the commissioner Sinai,” Kamali said.   “I’m asking the electoral commissioner Simon Sinai and the provincial election manager Alwin Jimmy to allow the 16 boxes to be counted along with the 28 boxes.   “If you can count the 28 disputed boxes from the 44 then why are leaving out these 16 boxes?   “What interest does the electoral commission has with these 16 boxes?   “If the 28 boxes were counted, then I’m calling on the electoral commissioner Simon Sinai to allow the 16 boxes to be counted as well,” Kamali said.   Kamali said that if these boxes are not counted then the writ for Kagua – Erave should not be accepted because counting is not fair.