Papua New Guinea on Thursday took the unprecedented step of postponing the five-yearly parliamentary elections that were scheduled to be held June 25, saying preparations were behind schedule and underfunded, according to dpa. Prime Minister Peter O'Neill had repeatedly stated that the vote would go ahead despite a failure to update the electoral roll or set aside a budget for the ballot. Parliament voted 63 to 11 to postpone the ballot by six months. Last month, in his very first statement, new Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr said Canberra would lead the international community in isolating the Port Moresby government if the elections were not held on time. Carr said sanctions would be in order if Papua New Guinea, an Australian protectorate until independence in 1975, let the timetable slip.
