ABAU OPEN - Sir Puka Temu (Our Development) is leading with 40% of the primary vote so far. You’d think he’ll be a safe bet.

AITAPE LUMI OPEN - The colourful (sic) Patrick Pruaitch (National Alliance) maintains his comfortable lead.

ALOTAU OPEN – Minister for Trade and Commerce Charles Abel (People’s National Congress) is romping home over his nearest opponents from the PNG Party and United Resources Party.

ANGORAM OPEN - Arthur Somare (National Alliance), Sir Michael’s son and one-time PM heir apparent, has extended his lead in recent counting but still has only 20% of the vote.

BULOLO OPEN - The popular Sam Basil (PNG Party) has extended his early lead and, with 56% of the primary vote so far, seems certain to be re-elected.

DEI OPEN - Puri Ruing (United Resources), is leading very narrowly from a group of candidates including Independent Margaret Parua, a Port Moresby lawyer who returned home to contest the seat. Margaret has slipped to fourth and now does not appear likely to be in there at the end. Both politicians featured in recent PNG Attitude articles.

EAST NEW BRITAIN PROVINCIAL - John Kaputin (Melanesian Alliance), with about 25% of the vote, is 2,000 votes ahead of the second-placed Triumph Heritage Empowerment candidate.

EAST SEPIK PROVINCIAL – Sir Michael Somare (National Alliance) who earlier was in a neck and neck struggle with his Pangu opponent, Allan Bird, is now about 40,000 votes ahead. His 45% of the vote should see him back in the parliament he was unceremoniously thrown out of last year.

ESA'ALA OPEN - Sitting MP and leader of government business in parliament, Moses Maladina (People’s National Congress), is trailing Davis Steven (People’s Party) by about 700 votes. Preferences are now being counted and this seat could be won by any of the three front-runners.

GAZELLE OPEN - There’s continuing to be a close fight here between Norbert Kubak (People’s National Congress) and Malakai Tabar (Melanesian Liberal) with my former UPNG colleague Sinai Brown (Triumph Heritage Empowerment) now seeming too far behind to constitute a threat.

HAGEN OPEN – Prominent minister and possible future prime minister, William Duma (United Resources Party), has about half the votes cast so far and looks a formidable proposition in this highlands seat. Well adrift in second place is James Yoka Ekip who, unless he gets a move on, will have to find other ways of funding the 400 pigs he slaughtered other than from his parliamentary salary.

HELA PROVINCIAL - Governor Anderson Agiru (People's United Assembly) leads by 2,500 votes in a close battle with Independent Andy Kapa. The preferences of the third and fourth placed candidates will be crucial.

IALIBU-PANGIA OPEN - Prime minister Peter O’Neill (People’s National Congress) won this seat in a landslide and was the first candidate to be declared elected.

KANDEP OPEN - Prime ministerial aspirant Don Polye (Triumph Heritage Empowerment) still has more than twice the votes of his nearest opponent and seems certain to win. He will keenly contest the nation’s top job with O’Neill.

KAVIENG OPEN - Ben Micah (People’s Progress) maintains a handy lead with 25% of the vote counted so far.

LAE OPEN – My former UPNG classmate, the popular Bart Philemon (New Generation), has a lead in early counting, which hasn’t progressed much in some days. In a big field, Loujaya Toni (Indigenous People's), who wrote for PNG Attitude recently about the travails of being a female candidate is running fifth about 600 votes in arrears.

LUFA OPEN – Still no counting but there’s a huge field of candidates including PNG Attitude contributor Jeffrey Mane Febi (People's Movement for Change).

MADANG PROVINCIAL - Former chief justice and Somare supporter Sir Arnold Amet (National Alliance) leads by 400 votes at an early stage of counting from one of the few women candidates, Mary Kamang (People’s National Congress), who is matching him very well at this stage.

MANUS OPEN - Ronny Knight (New Generation) won by 250 votes over Job Pomat (People’s National Congress)

MANUS PROVINCIAL - Charlie Benjamin (People’s National Congress) won by about 700 votes from Michael Sapau (Triumph Heritage Empowerment)

MAPRIK OPEN - Pita Lus (Pangu), like Michael Somare an ageing veteran, is trying to make a political comeback. He’s running a distant fourth to John Simon (National Alliance) who is just ahead of sitting member Gabriel Kapris (People’s National Congress).

MORESBY NORTH-WEST OPEN – In a huge field Miria Ikupu (People’s Democratic Movement) is leading with about 4,500 votes with Kenneth Thomson (Triumph Heritage Empowerment), featured recently in PNG Attitude, back in eighth place but still with a slim chance.

MORESBY SOUTH OPEN - The controversial Justin Tkatchenko (Social Democrat) is leading comfortably in this urban seat with over 30% of the vote so far.

NAMATANAI OPEN - Sitting member Byron Chan (People’s Progress), Sir Julius’s son, has been returned. The seat was declared last night.

NATIONAL CAPITAL DISTRICT PROVINCIAL - Governor Powes Parkop (Social Democrat) still has about twice the votes of the second-placed candidate but in a big field where all of the top five are polling respectably.

NEW IRELAND PROVINCIAL - Former PM Sir Julius Chan (People's Progress) is going around again and is leading from Ian Ling Stuckey (National Alliance). With 40% of the vote so far Sir J should rejoin son Byron in parliament.

NORTHERN PROVINCIAL - The respected Garry Juffa (People's Movement for Change), seeking to enter parliament for the first time, has a nice lead in a huge field of 73 candidates. That said, he has less than 10% of the vote so far and will need to have done his homework on educating people about preferences.

NORTH WAGHI OPEN – Benjamin Mul (Independent), who was nabbed by police last week on alleged election bribery charges, is running fifth to another Independent Mathew Ding. It’s still early days in counting and Mul is far from out of contention.

POMIO OPEN - Early days yet but the colourful former minister Paul Tiensten (People's United Assembly) is well ahead of previous front-runner Francis Koimanrea (People’s Democratic Movement). With 30% of primaries, you’d expect Tiensten to win. He fled PNG for Australia last year when wanted for questioning by police but returned to face the music – and it seems a likely return to parliament.

SOHE OPEN - Dellilah Pueka Gore (Triumph Heritage Empowerment) is the only female candidate to be leading but counting is painfully slow and she has only about 8% of the primary vote.

VANIMO-GREEN RIVER OPEN - With just over half the votes counted deputy PM Belden Namah (PNG Party) is running an improving third to two Independents, Willie Inaru and Tradggy Waramin. Greens candidate Dorothy Tekwie continues to trail badly. Namah could win, but will need a lot of preferences.

WABAG OPEN - Sam Abal (Independent) has a comfortable lead over the second placed candidate but preferences will be of vital importance to him.

WESTERN HIGHLANDS PROVINCIAL - A celebrity field is battling for top spot with former PM Paias Wingti (People’s Democratic Movement), who until recently lived on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, now narrowly behind Tom Olga (Triumph Heritage Empowerment). Trailing in fourth place is Independent John Nonggorr, a prominent barrister and constitutional lawyer, who’s picked up slightly in recent counting but looks to be out of contention.